Organised crime gangs behind rise in QR code 'quishing' scams
Published 11 April, 2025
In April 2025, we reported on a sharp rise in scams linked to fake and fraudulent QR codes.
We obtained data from the national fraud reporting centre Action Fraud showing that reports of so-called 'quishing' fraud had risen nearly 14-fold between 2019 and 2024.
The Chartered Trading Standards Institute told us people were losing huge amounts of money and that organised crime gangs were to blame.
Lead officer Katherine Hart said quishing is a global issue that is significantly underreported and presenting a "huge challenge" to authorities globally.
Contactless payment hotspots - like parking meters and restaurant menus - are the most common targets of the criminals who stick their own QR codes on signage.
But fraudulent and misleading codes have also been spotted on parcels, in emails and on television.
The scam sees those who scan them misdirected to websites and apps controlled by the criminals and tricked into handing over data such as bank details.
Often, the victims are contacted directly in a second stage of the scam, which sees them pretend to be trusted sources like police officers or bank staff in order to gain access to bank accounts.
Methodology
For our report, we obtained data from Action Fraud showing how many reports the organisation has received since 2019.
We then analysed the figures at a police force level.
Get the data
We produced this story pack with links to data, relevant context and quotes from experts including the Chartered Trading Standards Institute, the National Crime Agency and the National Cyber Security Centre.
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