I often warn people about QR codes, but it's easier to understand the seriousness of these warnings when you can clearly see what a scam looks like. Here is a film I was given the okay to use for educational purposes (with my voiceover).
In the video a woman peels off a sticker on a sign about parking fees at a car park in Ireland. The sticker, placed with criminal intent, is a QR code that fits perfectly on top of a valid QR code that the parking company has encouraged you to use.
According to a statement, the woman's daughter lost €1,000 after scanning the code, landing on a page that looked legitimate, and entering her credit card details.
Credible actors should not be making use of QR codes in public places. Organizations put their own reputation at risk and they risk the safety of people who are encouraged to scan the code. Sometimes fraudsters are not immediately after money but are seeking to collect personal data or passwords they can use to commit further types of fraud.
Fake QR codes also appear, for example, on campaigns for donating money, marketing materials about getting discounts, and on fake traffic tickets. Criminals, of course, love the fact that government agencies and public sector institutions also encourage citizens to scan QR codes without verifying where they end up.
Friends don't let friends scan QR codes.
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P.S.) Thanks to Jonas Söderström who tipped me off about the original video!
P.S. 2) If you peel off stickers in public places, use a tool and NOT your bare hands. It has happened that malignant people hide razor blades behind stickers, causing serious injury to fingers.