QR Fraud 2022-Present
Request
• The number of reports involving the key words 'QR fraud' from 2022 to now.
Please provide a month by month breakdown.
• Details of the allegation made including the exact location the offence
allegedly took place (for example an NCPP car park) and the original
purpose of the QR code (for example to pay for parking, or order a meal
online).
• The number of arrests and or charges made
Response
We approached our Crime Management Data Returns Administrator for assistance with your request. The Connect System is used to record complaints or allegations of those matters, which the Home Office specify should be recorded as ‘crime’.
They provided us with the below information and the following explanation of their search criteria:
In order to facilitate this FOI request, I’ve provided data based on the below filter - A keyword “QR” in the Initial MO free text field. I have also searched CONNECT for the keyword “QR fraud” which resulted in a nil return.
Please note –
• Data extracted from CONNECT on the 6th August 2024. CONNECT is a live
recording system and is therefore subject to change
• A search of all recorded Crime and NFIB fraud offences has been conducted.
The 5 offences that mention “QR” are recorded as “crime” not fraud offences
• Date parameter used – Incident Created Date between 01-JAN-2022 and 31-
JUL-2024
• Detection type and crime location full address has been included to assist with the request
The above filters produced 5 results.
I have reviewed the 5 results and only 1 appears to be related to 'QR fraud'.
Please see table below.
| Incident Date | Location | HO Group Name | Detection Type | Initial MO |
| July 2023 | Supermarket | Theft | 18 - Investigation Complete; No Suspect Identified. Crime Investigated As Far As Reasonably Possible-Case Closed Pending Further Investigative Opportunities Becoming Available | Theft not classified elsewhere - the victim has ordered a parcel which was being delivered by a delivery service. They received an email saying it had arrived at the pickup location, but never received anything else (normally another email with a QR code would be sent to collect). The victim has gone to collect the parcel from the supermarket and has been told that someone had already collected it. |
Please note, every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that data has been extracted from data sources used by this force for police purposes. The detail collected to respond specifically to your request is subject to the inaccuracies inherent in any large-scale recording systems and information assets.
The figures provided therefore are our best interpretation of relevance of data to your request, but you should be aware that the collation of figures/data for any requests may have limitations, and this should be taken into account when those data are used.
Police forces do not use generic systems or identical procedures for capturing the data. For these reasons this response to your questions should not be used for comparison purposes with responses you may receive from other police forces.