Online Scams in Valencia

QR Code Restaurant Phishing (QRishing)

Criminals place counterfeit QR code stickers over legitimate restaurant menu QR codes at cafe and restaurant tables throughout Valencia's tourist districts. When scanned, the fake code redirects to a convincing lookalike payment or ordering page that harvests credit card details or initiates unauthorized transactions. The tactic exploded across Spain following pandemic-era normalization of QR menus, and Spain's National Cybersecurity Institute (INCIBE) has issued repeated warnings. The fake codes are visually identical to real ones and are particularly difficult to detect.