Is this QR code safe? Free QR code scam checker
Check a QR code before you open it: see what it does in plain words and get a verdict on scam signs like lookalike sites and hidden links, on your device.
Drop a photo or screenshot of the QR code
Read on your device. The image is never uploaded. Or paste a screenshot.
Choose a fileOn a phone this opens the camera. Take the photo; nothing is opened or sent.
How this check works
The code is read and judged on your device with fixed rules: lookalike and misspelled brand names, hidden addresses, short links, risky endings, installers, premium numbers, open Wi-Fi and payment requests. It is a quick heuristic check, not a guarantee. It cannot see the page behind a link or know a site is new. For a full read with a Safe Browsing lookup, use the QR code reader.
Before you scan in public
- Look for a sticker placed over the original code, on parking meters, posters and menus.
- A code that asks for a password, card or bank login right away is a red flag.
- For parking, tolls and deliveries, use the official app or type the address yourself.
Printing your own codes? Make codes people trust: verified before download.
Upload or paste a photo or screenshot of the code, take a photo on your phone, or paste the text it contains.
It is read on your device and explained in plain words: a website, a Wi-Fi network, a call, a payment, a contact.
Read the verdict and the notes. Nothing is opened for you, and you can copy the link to check it yourself.
Questions
What is quishing?+
QR code phishing: a scam code, often a sticker over a real one on a parking meter, poster or menu, or a code in an email, that sends you to a fake login or payment page. The code hides the address until you scan it.
What does the checker look for?+
Brand names on sites that are not the brand's, misspellings and lookalike letters, addresses hidden behind an @ or encoded characters, bare IP addresses, short links, risky endings such as .zip, app installers, premium phone numbers, open Wi-Fi and payment requests.
Does "Looks fine" mean the code is safe?+
No. It means nothing in the content matches a known trick. This is a quick heuristic check on your device and cannot see the page behind a link. Stay alert for any request for a password, card or bank login.
Is my image uploaded?+
No. The code is read in your browser and the check runs there too. The image and the link never leave your device, and the link is never opened.
What should I do with a suspicious code?+
Do not open it. If it claims to be your bank, a parcel company or a parking operator, go to their official app or type their address yourself. Tell the venue if the code is a sticker on their sign.
More free tools
Learn the terms
- QR code scannerA QR code scanner is software or hardware that captures an image of a QR code and decodes it. Most phones read QR codes with the built-in camera app, so a separate app is rarely needed.
- Short linkA short link is a compact URL that redirects to a longer one. In QR codes, short links reduce the amount of data, making the code less dense, and they power dynamic codes that can be edited and counted.
- EMV QR codeAn EMV QR code is a payment QR code that follows the EMVCo specification, a tag-length-value format that many national schemes use to encode a merchant, currency and amount.
- UPI QR codeA UPI QR code is a QR code for India’s Unified Payments Interface that carries a upi://pay link with the payee’s UPI ID, so any UPI app can scan it and prefill a payment.
- Bharat QRBharat QR is India’s interoperable merchant QR code standard, developed by NPCI with the card networks, that lets one printed code accept card-network and UPI payments.
- Pix QR code (BR Code)A Pix QR code, also called a BR Code, is the QR format for Pix, Brazil’s instant payment system run by the Banco Central do Brasil, built on the EMV merchant-presented standard.
The next step
Make the code the artwork.
These tools make and check classic codes. AriaQR turns your photo, logo or illustration into the code itself, verified on real decoders before you download, with a link you can edit and track.
