Event Details

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Talk Title

QR Code Security: Ignorance is Bliss

BIO

Ellie Ball is a final year PhD psychology student at Lancaster University, where she studies QR code engagement, looking specifically at QR code security and QR code scam susceptibility. Her work focuses on understanding how users, young and old, are interacting and behaving with QR codes in the domains of attitude, cognition, and behaviour to develop a deeper understanding of the factors that could make individuals vulnerable to QR code scams. QR codes have become an integral part of our digital environments but with that, the prevalence of QR code scams has increased, with Action Fraud reporting that between April 2024 and April 2025, £3.5 million was lost to fraudulent QR codes in the UK alone. Through her research, she aims to improve the efficacy and specificity of future scam intervention plans, to reduce the number of individuals falling victim to malicious QR codes.