QR code scanners

QR code scan­ners are con­ve­nient and used ever more fre­quently, for instance to pay QR invoices. But be careful when choosing your app!

You can find plenty of free QR code scan­ners on offer in both the Apple (iTunes­Store) and Google stores (Google Play Store). Yet not all of them are safe to use, as there is a risk of them unin­ten­tion­ally redi­recting you to phishing or sub­scrip­tion offer sites.

Please note that you no longer need any sep­a­rate apps to scan QR codes. Most smart­phones (iPhone / Android 9.0 or higher) have a QR code scanner already which can be accessed via their pre­in­stalled camera app.

Pro­tect your­self by fol­lowing these tips in particular:

• Use the pre­in­stalled camera app for scan­ning QR codes and your finan­cial institution’s app for scan­ning QR invoices.
• If you would still like to use a sep­a­rate QR code scanner app, you should only use one which shows you the QR code con­tent first before pro­cessing it.
• Always check the link des­ti­na­tion (domain name) or pay­ment infor­ma­tion after scan­ning any QR code before opening the target page or com­pleting a transaction.
• Never allow anyone to talk you into pay­ments using QR codes.
• Only ever use QR codes in sit­u­a­tions you con­sider stan­dard or safe.

Fur­ther infor­ma­tion on QR invoices can be found here: www.ebas.ch/en/qr-invoices