Criminals stick fake QR codes over real ones on parking meters, menus, and flyers. A QR code is just a link you can't read, and that's the whole problem.
Your phone shows the web address before opening it. Read it. Paying the city? The address should be the city's. If it's a jumble or a shortener, stop and type the official site instead.
Parking meters, restaurant menus, event flyers, even utility bills. The fake code sits right on top of the real one.
"Pay for parking here." Card form and city logo included. It's the criminal's site.
Card number captured. Some fake pages grab logins or push a malicious "parking app" instead.
Scammers put QR codes in phishing emails because spam filters can't read images. "Scan to hear your voicemail" = scan to get robbed.
Read the preview. Your phone shows the address before opening. If it's not the org's real domain, don't.
Pay parking through the official app or by typing the city's site.
Never scan QR codes from emails. That placement exists to dodge spam filters.
Look at the meter/menu: is the code a sticker on top of another code? Walk away.
KCCS installs, secures, and watches business systems all over Southern Colorado. Get a free assessment — a real engineer walks your site and hands you a written punch list.
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