See what a QR code really does before you scan it with your phone: the real website, Wi-Fi networks, payment requests and the warning signs of a scam.
Read in your browser. Images and camera video never leave your device.
Point the camera at a QR code. It is read on this device.
Your image
How QR code scams work
Stickers over real codesOn parking meters, EV chargers and restaurant tables, a printed sticker covers the genuine code. Feel the code: a raised sticker is a warning sign.
Fake fines and invoicesLetters and emails with a QR code to pay a “fine”, toll or overdue bill. Pay through the official website you type in yourself.
Codes in emailsEmail filters cannot read links inside images, so phishing emails now use QR codes to get past them, often for fake login pages.
Look at the real siteYour phone shows the address before opening it. Check the part just before the first single slash, as this tool does.
Questions
Can scanning a QR code be dangerous?
Scanning only reads the code, but it can then open a fake website, start a payment, join you to a Wi-Fi network or start a text message. Checking what it does first lets you decide.
Does this tool open the link?
No. It reads the code and checks the text of the link, so nothing on the other end can tell you checked it. That also means shortened links cannot be expanded here.
It could not find a code in my photo.
Take the photo straight on, fill more of the frame with the code, avoid glare, and make sure the whole code including its white border is visible. Screenshots of codes work best.
Is my image uploaded?
No. The code is read in your browser. If you use the camera, the video stays on your device and stops when you press Stop or leave the page.
Check the privacy claim yourself
Open your browser's developer tools and select the Network tab.
Check an image. No new requests appear: it is read on your device.
Or disconnect from the internet after this page loads. The checker keeps working.