The National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) has issued a caution urging Nigerians to pay keen attention to the surge in fraudulent activities associated with scanning QR codes.
In its latest advisory posted on its official X handle, the agency pointed out the alarming trend of malicious actors exploiting QR codes for various fraudulent schemes, including phishing scams, payment fraud, data theft, and identity theft.
“QR codes, while fast and convenient for quick access to information and actions, have unfortunately become a tool exploited by scammers for fraudulent activities.” NITDA said.
The agency explained that fraudsters deploy diverse methods to perpetrate their illicit activities through QR codes, including generating codes pointing to malicious applications or phishing websites, embedding malware or data-stealing scripts, and collecting users’ personal information for identity theft.
“exercise caution when scanning codes from unfamiliar sources or unsolicited messages.” The agency advised, as It recommended users to verify the legitimacy of QR codes and associated links before proceeding with scanning.
NITDA also urged users to use reputable QR code scanning apps equipped with built-in security features.
