Organised crime gangs are behind a sharp rise in scams linked to fraudulent QR codes, experts say.
The national fraud reporting centre Action Fraud received 1,386 reports of people being targeted last year, compared with 100 in 2019.
Contactless payment hotspots - like parking meters and restaurant menus - are common targets of criminals who stick their own QR codes on signage.
Katherine Hart, lead officer at the Chartered Trading Standards Institute, said: "We've seen huge amounts lost this way. People have seen their life savings gone and that money is going to finance criminals."
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