Good practices for scanning QR codes

QR codes are the square, scannable codes that you see for touchless menus at restaurants, real estate listings, TV ads, social media posts, and more. Most mobile phones will read the QR code through a camera to launch a website. However, cybercriminals can also create QR codes that direct people to malicious websites.

Here are some good practices when scanning QR codes:

• Scrutinize emails and texts with unsolicited QR codes.
• If your phone shows a preview of the code’s URL, review the link for legitimacy.
• Don’t download apps using a QR code. Find the app in your phone’s app store.
• If unexpectedly prompted for login or financial information after scanning a QR code, close the website without providing any information.