McAfee Introduces Scam Checker to Prevent Quishing
McAfee has added a 'QR Code Scam Checker' to its security products at no extra cost, protecting users from malicious QR codes.
📋 Article Processing Timeline
- 📰 Published: April 23, 2026 at 19:00
- 🔍 Collected: April 23, 2026 at 10:31
- 🤖 AI Analyzed: April 24, 2026 at 02:50 (16h 18m after Collected)
McAfee Co., Ltd. (Headquarters: Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo), which provides online security products, announced on April 23, 2026, the upgrade of its plans including McAfee® LiveSafe, McAfee® Total Protection, and McAfee+, adding the new feature 'QR Code Scam Checker'. This allows users to secure their online environments more strongly, smartly, and simply.
As scam methods and channels become more diverse and sophisticated, McAfee protects users from all kinds of threats. This upgrade adds a function that instantly verifies the safety of QR codes. At no additional cost, it realizes an environment where users can enjoy the internet safely anytime, anywhere with advanced protection.
According to an announcement by the National Police Agency, the number and amount of damage from investment scams using social media in 2025 significantly increased from the previous year, reaching a total of 127.47 billion yen (a 46.3% increase). McAfee's survey also revealed that the impact of online scams was severe in Japan in 2025, with an average of 9 scam messages (including SMS, email, and social media) received per day. Furthermore, the results showed that people spent about 55 hours a year trying to determine whether a message was genuine or a scam. This burden on ordinary consumers has been increasing year by year, heightening the need for protection that can address online risks when they materialize.
Judging the safety of QR codes without hesitation
Scam methods are evolving rapidly, making the criteria for judging their safety increasingly difficult. Today, there are increasing cases where criminals embed malicious links in places where consumers routinely scan QR codes, such as menus, parking payment machines, posters, and delivery packages.
According to McAfee's research, this threat is becoming familiar to everyone.
In fact, it was found that 69% of people had scanned a QR code within the past three months, and 8% of them were led to a suspicious or dangerous page. These results indicate that phishing scams exploiting QR codes, so-called 'quishing', are no longer someone else's problem. Last year in Japan, an incident occurred where someone pasted an unrelated QR code on a university's transit advertisement, prompting the university to issue a warning.
In addition, QR codes are widely used as a payment method. A survey conducted by the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications in 2024 revealed that about 60% of Japanese people use QR code payments. On the other hand, multiple media outlets reported that in 2025, the number of consultations regarding QR code payments sent to consumer affairs centers nationwide exceeded 5,000, setting a record high. In response, relevant authorities are calling on users to be cautious.
Joe Manna, Chief Product and Engineering Officer at McAfee, stated:
'We are entering an era where scams are becoming more sophisticated and targeted at individuals. With the advent of AI, the speed of this evolution is accelerating, generating more advanced and targeted methods every day. With this upgrade, we have realized features that can counter these threats more powerfully, faster, and with simpler operations than ever before. We have a track record of anticipating threats and constantly taking measures for over 25 years.'
To counter these threats, McAfee is strengthening its security features, including the 'QR Code Scam Checker', to protect your safety.
Smarter safety measures at no extra cost
McAfee's 'QR Code Scam Checker' is included as a standard feature in all McAfee plans at no additional charge.
Danger can lurk even in seemingly harmless QR codes on menus, parking payment machines, posters, and delivery packages. When you scan a QR code, McAfee's 'QR Code Scam Checker' instantly determines whether the code is safe.
McAfee's features support everyone in easily distinguishing between genuine and fake codes and protecting themselves from scams through clear guidance and powerful protection capabilities. By simply scanning a QR code with the McAfee app, you can effortlessly check its safety on the spot instantly.
Supported Environments
The McAfee QR Code Scam Checker is available on all iOS/Android devices compatible with McAfee® LiveSafe, McAfee® Total Protection, and McAfee+. For details on the system requirements of each plan, please check the link below.
System Requirements for All McAfee Products | McAfee
As scam methods and channels become more diverse and sophisticated, McAfee protects users from all kinds of threats. This upgrade adds a function that instantly verifies the safety of QR codes. At no additional cost, it realizes an environment where users can enjoy the internet safely anytime, anywhere with advanced protection.
According to an announcement by the National Police Agency, the number and amount of damage from investment scams using social media in 2025 significantly increased from the previous year, reaching a total of 127.47 billion yen (a 46.3% increase). McAfee's survey also revealed that the impact of online scams was severe in Japan in 2025, with an average of 9 scam messages (including SMS, email, and social media) received per day. Furthermore, the results showed that people spent about 55 hours a year trying to determine whether a message was genuine or a scam. This burden on ordinary consumers has been increasing year by year, heightening the need for protection that can address online risks when they materialize.
Judging the safety of QR codes without hesitation
Scam methods are evolving rapidly, making the criteria for judging their safety increasingly difficult. Today, there are increasing cases where criminals embed malicious links in places where consumers routinely scan QR codes, such as menus, parking payment machines, posters, and delivery packages.
According to McAfee's research, this threat is becoming familiar to everyone.
In fact, it was found that 69% of people had scanned a QR code within the past three months, and 8% of them were led to a suspicious or dangerous page. These results indicate that phishing scams exploiting QR codes, so-called 'quishing', are no longer someone else's problem. Last year in Japan, an incident occurred where someone pasted an unrelated QR code on a university's transit advertisement, prompting the university to issue a warning.
In addition, QR codes are widely used as a payment method. A survey conducted by the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications in 2024 revealed that about 60% of Japanese people use QR code payments. On the other hand, multiple media outlets reported that in 2025, the number of consultations regarding QR code payments sent to consumer affairs centers nationwide exceeded 5,000, setting a record high. In response, relevant authorities are calling on users to be cautious.
Joe Manna, Chief Product and Engineering Officer at McAfee, stated:
'We are entering an era where scams are becoming more sophisticated and targeted at individuals. With the advent of AI, the speed of this evolution is accelerating, generating more advanced and targeted methods every day. With this upgrade, we have realized features that can counter these threats more powerfully, faster, and with simpler operations than ever before. We have a track record of anticipating threats and constantly taking measures for over 25 years.'
To counter these threats, McAfee is strengthening its security features, including the 'QR Code Scam Checker', to protect your safety.
Smarter safety measures at no extra cost
McAfee's 'QR Code Scam Checker' is included as a standard feature in all McAfee plans at no additional charge.
Danger can lurk even in seemingly harmless QR codes on menus, parking payment machines, posters, and delivery packages. When you scan a QR code, McAfee's 'QR Code Scam Checker' instantly determines whether the code is safe.
McAfee's features support everyone in easily distinguishing between genuine and fake codes and protecting themselves from scams through clear guidance and powerful protection capabilities. By simply scanning a QR code with the McAfee app, you can effortlessly check its safety on the spot instantly.
Supported Environments
The McAfee QR Code Scam Checker is available on all iOS/Android devices compatible with McAfee® LiveSafe, McAfee® Total Protection, and McAfee+. For details on the system requirements of each plan, please check the link below.
System Requirements for All McAfee Products | McAfee