Photo from Bernama
Those who live in the city have probably seen QR codes for payments everywhere. It's a handy way for Malaysians to make payments via e-wallet or banking apps, so we use it for faster payments. But criminals are also taking advantage of this.
Datuk Seri Ramli Mohamed Yoosuf, the director of the Commercial Crime Investigation Department (CCID), has warned the public of a new scam tactic that uses QR codes. The scammers would distribute gifts with QR codes printed on them. They would claim that scanning these codes will reward someone with cash vouchers. In the process, the person needs to enter their banking information for the reward to be 'transferred'.
As you can tell, this is a type of phishing scam that relies on a physical object to spread. Datuk Seri Ramli said there are no police reports about this scam yet, so there might not be many (if any) victims so far. In related news, Ramli also warned about another scam tactic via SMS. There have been confirmed victims reporting text messages claiming to be from local telco companies like Maxis, Celcom, and Digi. These messages will 'remind' the victim of unclaimed reward points expiring soon, pressuring them to redeem soon via a provided link.
To all our fellow Malaysians, always exercise caution and a healthy dose of scepticism for anything claiming to want to reward you.
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