Motorists in the United Kingdom are being targeted with quick response (QR) code scams, according to recent research. Once scanned, these malicious QR codes will take a user to a website designed to draw out personal data, such as payment information, by presenting itself as a legitimate parking payment service provider. The U.K. is not alone in experiencing this type of scam, as reports of similar malicious QR codes have emerged across Europe, Canada and the United States. 

Other personal information that may be exposed in this scam includes: 

• License plate 
• Vehicle make and model 
• Location code

This information could potentially be leveraged for future, advanced phishing attacks, utilizing personal knowledge of the target to make the phishing email, website, or other correspondence appear legitimate. 

The research identified an approximate number of victims by observing how many visitors these malicious sites had over time. Through this, the research found these websites had around 13 visitors per hour and around 320 per day. Many of these visitors may have personal information stolen as a result.