FG’s Agency Alerts Nigerians on New Ways Scammers Now Use to Defraud People

• The National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) has notified Nigerians of the various ways scammers now defraud people
• The agency said that scammers now use Quick Response (QR) codes to steal vital information from users
• It said scammers now create phishing codes to reroute payments, plant malicious malware to defraud users

Legit.ng’s Pascal Oparada has reported on tech, energy, stocks, investment and the economy for over a decade.

The National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) has warned Nigerians to carefully scan Quick Response (QR) codes as fraudsters now use them to defraud people.

In its latest advisory on Saturday, March 30, 2024, the agency stated that bad actors now use QR codes for phishing scams, payment fraud and data theft.

QR codes used to steal payments

A QR code is a machine-readable code consisting of a series of black and white squares, typically used for storing URLs or other information for reading by a smartphone's camera.

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NITDA said:

“The implications of these codes on users vary depending on the approach taken by the Scammer Impact QR codes can be exploited by malicious actors to deceive unsuspecting users and perpetrate fraudulent activities.”

The statement from the agency said that scammers use QR codes to achieve their goals, stating that fraudsters can generate QR codes, pointing users to phishing websites or applications.

NITDA also said that scammers can create codes that start illicit transactions or reroute payments to their accounts instead of the intended recipients.

How scammers steal vital info

Also, scammers can use fraudulent codes to steal vital documents and plant malicious malware or data-stealing scripts in QR codes.

“Users’ personal information, including names, addresses, and contact details, can be collected using QR codes inserted in fake advertisements or online surveys. This information can then be exploited for identity theft or other targeted frauds,” NITDA said.

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The agency asked Nigerians using QR codes to be wary of scanning codes from unknown sources or unsolicited messages. It also asked users to verify the legitimacy of QR codes and links before scanning them.

It also asked Nigerians to use reputable QR code scanning apps with built-in security and update devices with the latest antivirus software and security patches.

First Bank, Access, GTB, and UBA expose tricks

Legit.ng earlier reported that Nigerian banks have again sent customers messages to be vigilant amid rising fraud cases.

In similar messages, the banks also provided steps on actions customers must take to avoid falling victim.

Leadership reports that Nigerians have lost a whopping N51 billion in savings to banking-related fraud between 2019 and July 2023.

Source: Legit.ng