The image can also create a gap in email filtering. The UK National Cyber Security Centre explains that some phishing detection tools do not scan images, allowing a malicious QR link to slip through. That is a limitation of some tools, not evidence that every QR code is fraudulent.<\/p>\n
Scanning and sharing details are different steps<\/h2>\n
In this hypothetical example, an unexpected email asks you to scan a code to view a document. Your phone opens a page requesting your email password. Scanning brought you to the destination; submitting your password would disclose account information. The scan alone does not establish that someone has taken over your account.<\/p>\n Before entering information, consider whether you expected the request and whether the destination belongs to the service. If uncertain, contact the business through a known channel. Requests for excessive information, including suspicious follow-up calls, are reasons to pause. The NCSC also recommends your phone\u2019s built-in QR scanner; using it does not establish that the destination is legitimate.<\/p>\n Use the affected provider\u2019s recovery route. For personal Microsoft accounts, its guidance includes checking a PC for malware before changing the password, changing or resetting the password, and reviewing account settings. Those instructions concern that account service. The concrete takeaway: treat an unexpected QR code as an unfamiliar link, and pause before handing the destination your sign-in details.<\/p>\n An unexpected QR code can conceal a phishing link. The useful pause comes before you trust the destination or enter account details.<\/p>\n![\"An](\"https:\/\/alenkrga.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/qr-code-phishing-pause-before-sign-in-5b2a6b4a14-illustration-1.png\")
Where should you pause?<\/h2>\n
If account access is compromised<\/h2>\n
References<\/h2>\n
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