QR security starts with one habit: trust the destination before you tap

A QR code hides its destination until you scan it. That's what makes it handy and what makes it easy to abuse. The FTC has warned about scammers placing their own codes over real ones on parking meters and sending codes by text or email to push people toward fake sites.

Wearables add their own twist. A wristband or badge is harder to tamper with than a poster, but the signs around it aren't. This section covers how to check a link before you open it, why codes should point to a domain you'd recognize, and how organizers can print a short web address under every code so people can confirm it.

We follow consumer protection alerts closely, and the headlines below come straight from the FTC. If a code asks you to log in, pay or download something you didn't expect, stop and check first.