Forty people in Norfolk have been victims of QR code-related scams

Forty people in Norfolk have been the victim of fast-spreading scams related to QR codes, new figures show.

The BBC’s Shared Data Unit has obtained data for the county, highlighting a sharp rise in the number of people affected by such crimes - believed to be perpetrated by organised criminal gangs.

Data shows that there were no Norfolk victims of QR code-related scams in 2019 or 2020 - and just three in 2021 and four in 2022.

However, in 2023 that number rose to 13 - and last year, there were 20 victims.

Since 2019, thousands of people across the UK have been tricked by fraudsters using QR codes to steal money and personal information.

Organised gangs are often behind the fast-spreading crime, according to Katherine Hart, lead officer at the Chartered Trading Standards Institute.

She said so-called ‘quishing’ is significantly under-reported and is presenting a “huge challenge” to authorities globally.

“We’ve seen huge amounts of money lost this way, people have seen their life savings gone and that money is going to finance criminals,” Ms Hart added.

In September last year, a Great Yarmouth man was sentenced for placing drug-dealing barcodes around the area - including in Lynn.

Timas Raskacajevas, of Devonshire Road in Great Yarmouth, was handed a 12-month conditional discharge and ordered to pay £1,000 in compensation to West Norfolk Council, a £26 victim surcharge, and £85 in court costs.

When pointing a smartphone camera at the barcodes, they provided a link to a “glossy online drug supermarket, featuring cannabis products with false claims of its products being legal”.