Is This QRSAFE?™Scan a QR Code
Upload or scan a QR code to check whether the link behind it is safe before you visit it.
Drag & drop a QR image, or click to upload
Is This QR Safe? is a free QR code safety scanner. Paste, upload, or point your camera at any QR code and we extract the link behind it, follow every redirect, and check the destination against VirusTotal and other URL-reputation engines — before you ever visit the page. Built to defend against quishing (QR code phishing), which rose roughly 587% in 2023 alone (Keepnet Labs, 2026) and has continued to grow since.
Why check a QR code before scanning?
A QR code is just a URL hidden inside an image. You cannot tell from the pattern alone whether it leads to a real menu, a parking-payment page, a credential-harvesting clone, or a drive-by malware download. Attackers exploit that gap by stickering over legitimate codes, slipping fake QR codes into emails and PDFs to bypass text-based spam filters, and printing fake parking-meter or shipping-label codes. NordVPN's 2025 survey found that 73% of Americans scan QR codes without verifying them (CNBC, 2025) — exactly the audience a quishing attack relies on.
What we check
- The full destination URL after every shortener and redirect.
- VirusTotal verdicts across 70+ URL reputation engines.
- Whether the domain has been recently registered or flagged.
- Whether the link tries to download a file or trigger a payment.
Common quishing scams
- Fake parking-meter QR stickers that take payment to a fraudulent page — Austin, San Antonio, and Houston all reported real incidents where stickered codes pointed to a fraudulent “passportlab.xyz” payment site (FOX 7 Austin, 2022).
- Restaurant or retail menu codes covered with a sticker that opens a fake ordering or payment page mimicking the real one (FTC Consumer Advice, 2023).
- USPS, IRS, or DMV “delivery failed” / “tax overdue” QR codes embedded in emails to bypass text-based filters (Acronis, 2026).
- QR codes hidden inside PDF attachments — Cyble's “Scanception” campaign found nearly 80% had zero VirusTotal detections at first sight (Cyble, 2025).
Read more in our complete quishing guide or jump to how to check a QR code is safe.
Frequently asked questions
- How do I check if a QR code is safe?
- Open Is This QR Safe?, point your camera at the QR code or upload a photo of it, and our scanner will extract the link, follow any redirects, and check the destination against VirusTotal and other URL-reputation engines before you visit it. The scan typically completes in a few seconds.
- Is Is This QR Safe? free?
- Yes. The web scanner at isthisqrsafe.com and the iOS and Android apps are free to use for personal QR safety checks.
- What is quishing?
- Quishing is QR code phishing — an attack where a malicious QR code leads to a fake or malware-laced website. Because the URL is hidden inside an image, traditional email security filters often miss it. Keepnet Labs reported a 587% increase in quishing incidents in 2023, and QR codes were present in roughly 12% of all phishing attacks tracked in 2025.
- Does the scanner work on iPhone and Android?
- Yes. The web scanner works in any modern mobile browser. We also publish native iOS and Android apps that run faster and integrate with the system camera.
- Do you store the QR code images I upload?
- No. QR codes are decoded in your browser, and the image itself is never uploaded or stored. We do log the extracted URL plus standard request metadata so we can show your scan history and improve detection.