A man in Shangrao, Jiangxi entered an electronics store posing as a customer, secretly replaced payment QR codes with his own, and was arrested.

Social Context

QR code substitution fraud violates Article 266 of the Criminal Law and is prosecuted as theft. Jiangxi’s 2024 ‘Secure Scan’ initiative requires merchants to verify QR code authenticity monthly and display tamper-evident seals approved by the People’s Bank of China.

Safety Tip

Stores must scan QR codes daily using official verification apps (e.g., Alipay’s ‘Code Check’) and physically inspect for adhesive residue or mismatched branding.