As India continues to adopt online payments, especially through UPI, QR code scams are on the rise, with fraudsters finding new ways to defraud users. Recently, several incidents of scams involving QR codes have come to light, including a case where a police officer lost Rs 2.3 lakh after scanning a fraudulent QR code at a bakery. Now, a new scam involving DHL package delivery has emerged, causing concern among citizens receiving suspicious information.

A DHL package delivery notice is circulating on WhatsApp and X (formerly Twitter), warning people not to scan QR codes printed on paper. The message reads, “New scam. They will leave it at the door. Don’t scan the QR code.”

According to people who received the poster, the notice is being delivered to their door, which includes a QR code and a prompt to “Reorder your delivery now by following 3 simple steps.” The first step asks recipients to scan the QR code to visit the DHL website, followed by entering their DHL waybill number to choose a delivery option.

However, DHL has cleared up this confusion. The company’s official DHL Express India account on Twitter (formerly Twitter) responded to a tweet about the alleged scam, clarifying that the notice is legitimate. While this may not be a scam, it is important to remember that QR code scams are one of the easiest ways for scammers to dupe people because these codes may include a malicious link that the user can click on. And may lose big money in any other scam.

“The paper in the shared image is a valid customer notification document issued by DHL Express and is commonly known as a Not Home (NH) card,” DHL said. DHL said that the notice is from DHL Singapore and it is not a scam.

While the paper notice is authentic, a separate scam involving fake DHL SMS is also in the news. The fraudulent text message claims, “Your package is currently being processed at our facility. For the latest information on import fees, please visit our website: http://dhlhub.com,

The URL in the SMS is not an official DHL link, which suggests that it is a scam aimed at tricking users into clicking on a malicious link. To protect themselves, users are advised to be cautious when interacting with QR codes, links and messages from unknown sources. Checking for small details like incorrect URLs, poorly written English or unusual fonts can help identify a scam. It is always safe to verify the legitimacy of such messages through official channels or directly through customer service to avoid falling victim to these schemes.