Reports of ‘Quishing’ on the Rise in Louisiana – What to Know

Louisiana is known for its colorful language. Sometimes people along the bayous in Acadiana will create their own words to describe the things around them. One of my favorite words, and no I am not sure if this is how to spell it but it's pronounced "dee moy aid". I tried to find it in the LSU Cajun-French Glossary but I couldn't. By the way, the word means "totally screwed up". And, that leads us to the new internet scam term known as "quishing".

If you've been online for more than a minute or two you are probably familiar with the scam terms phishing and squishing. Phishing refers to an attempt to steal sensitive information by masquerading as a reputable business or person. The "phisher" usually reaches out to the unsuspecting victim through email.

Smishing is the term law enforcement uses in describing attempts to steal sensitive information via text or SMS (short message service) on your phone. The messages attempt to trick users into downloading malware or sharing sensitive information via text messages that appear to come from reputable sources.

The latest scam that's rearing its ugly head in Louisiana is called Quishing. It has to do with the stealing of sensitive information via QR Codes. You know what those are right? They are those little blocks of black and white squares that you point your telephone's camera at. The QR Code will lead you to a website. For a reputable business, it's a great way for customers to easily connect with them.

Fake QR Codes have been noted across the country and in Louisiana and while the website they take you to might look legitimate, it is not. The trouble with QR Codes and Quishing is that the damage is self-inflicted. You have to point your camera and click before you become a victim of the scam.

So, if you see a QR code posted and the offer looks too good to be true, it probably is. Or, if you don't know where the QR Code came from, that's a red flag as well.

There are things you can do to protect yourself and your money from quishing scams. First, don't use any QR Code that looks suspicious or doesn't come from a trusted source. Second, instead of clicking on the website suggested by the QR Code find the website independently via Google or another search engine. That way you know the site is the real one and not one created to "look real" by scammers.

Third and most importantly, don't put any important information about yourself on any site that you aren't completely confident in. Don't put a social security number, banking information, mother's maiden name, address, none of that. That's what the scammers are after because that trail leads directly to your hard-earned money.

As always, report any scams or attempted scams to local law enforcement and the business or entity that is being "spoofed" by the bogus QR Code. It's also a good idea to have a conversation with older relatives regarding this new form of scam. The scammers love to prey on those that are not technically savvy and that usually is older users.