A new scam has been noticed in New York City after an apartment block put out a sign warning its residents. In short, the scam involved people placing QR codes on resident’s door knobs. The idea of this is that residents would scan these codes without thinking which can easily lead to stolen bank details and other personal information taken from smartphones.

The sign also claimed that this had happened with other apartments throughout the neighborhood, indicating a coordinated attack by an organized group.

Here, the sign read: ‘On 12/24/23 at approximately 2:40 PM an individual wearing a hoodie and face mask followed a delivery person into the building and placed signs on all apartment door knobs. We did not authorize this person to enter or distribute materials. We have been informed by the authorities that the QR code associated with the tag is a means by which to steal your personal information including passwords, logins and more.’

News of this incident was shared on Reddit where various New Yorkers claimed to have experienced similar experiences over the past month. To protect yourself from QR code scams, it’s important to be cautious when scanning QR codes and only scan codes from trusted sources. If you encounter a suspicious QR code or are unsure about its legitimacy, it’s best to err on the side of caution and avoid scanning it altogether.