The National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) has issued a cautionary alert to Nigerians, advising them to exercise caution when scanning Quick Response (QR) codes due to the surge in fraudulent activities orchestrated by scammers.

In its latest advisory seen on its official X account, the agency highlighted the alarming trend of people exploiting QR codes for various fraudulent schemes, including phishing scams, payment fraud, data theft, and identity theft.

QR codes, commonly recognised as machine-readable codes composed of black and white squares, are typically utilised for storing information accessible by smartphone cameras.

The advisory serves as a reminder for users to remain vigilant and implement necessary precautions before scanning QR codes to mitigate the risk of falling victim to cyber scams.

The NITDA revealed that fraudsters deploy multifaceted methods to perpetrate their illicit activities through QR codes.

In its advisory, NITDA advised users of QR codes to exercise caution when scanning codes from unfamiliar sources or unsolicited messages.

The agency said it is important to verify the legitimacy of QR codes and associated links before proceeding with scanning.

Furthermore, NITDA recommended the utilisation of reputable QR code scanning apps equipped with built-in security features.