The use of QR codes is becoming more widespread in Malaysia, not only for easy cashless banking transactions but also as a new medium of fraud. According to Kaspersky in an interview with Bernama, fraud occurs when legitimate QR codes are replaced with fake codes, causing the risk of theft of user data and financial information.
The Global Digital Overview 2025 report shows that Malaysia is in second place after China with 66.1% of the population actively using QR codes. With this increased use, the risk of fraud has also increased at the same rate.
PDRM data also revealed that 12,110 cases of online fraud were recorded in the first quarter of 2025, involving losses of RM573.7 million. This number is up from 10,715 cases worth RM519.9 million in the last quarter of 2024, including cases involving fake QR codes. Users are advised to be more careful when using QR codes and ensure the source is reliable to avoid the risk of fraud.