A new form of fraud has emerged in the Netherlands that could also gain ground here. Fraudsters are trying to take over your accounts using a QR code. Be careful! Our Dutch neighbours have already had to deal with this kind of scam, and it could also come to our country. If you're selling something online, be careful when you receive a QR code after you've given your account number to your buyer. "It's not normal, because in order to receive payments, you only need to give your name and account number. In this fraud scenario, the code does not in fact refer to a payment confirmation, but to a login portal which, in combination with the bank account number provided, will give the fraudster direct access to your current and savings accounts," warns Chief of Police Olivier Bogaert of the Federal Computer Crime Unit.
Manual transfers are safer
You run the risk of large sums of money being taken out of your account. "This system is apparently widely used in the Netherlands. ING has had to warn the users of its application because sellers with an ING account gave permission to link a second application to their account by scanning this QR code."
So, take your time and be extremely careful when you receive a payment request with a QR code. “Manual transfers are always safer because you will not end up in a fake payment environment, which is sometimes difficult to recognise", says Chief of Police Olivier Bogaert.
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