Scan or Scam? QR Code Thieves Arrested in Jiangsu

QR code payment is ubiquitous in Chinese cities. Every vendor from ritzy salons  to late-night barbecue skewer stalls will have a small square print that you scan with your smartphone to send payment.Yet intrepid fingersmiths are often fumbling for ways to exploit the technology. Last week, just as China’s central bank implemented new security regulations on payments using QR codes, police in eastern China’s Jiangsu province arrested three men on suspicion of theft. According to local newspaper Modern Express, greengrocers reported to police that the suspects had swapped the QR codes for receiving electronic payments to intercept the vendors’ income.