Be careful when scanning QR codes

Bengaluru, NT Bureau: Online scammers have now adopted an ingenious way to defraud unsuspecting people. The modus operandi now involves sending a registered post to the target.

Upon opening the envelope, the recipients usually find a gift, a coupon worth Rs 12,80,000 with instructions to scan a QR code on the coupon to claim the gift. If the recipient scans the QR code on the coupon, their bank accounts get wiped clean.

A person has made a video about the scam and it has been shared widely on social media and is now going viral. The scamsters withdraw money from the bank accounts of those who have scanned the code. Many people in Bengaluru claimed to have received registered posts at their homes.

Fraudsters have installed a scanner on the same card. If anyone scans it or calls the helpline number, the money in his or her account immediately gets transferred to the fraudsters.