I found a good YouTube channel to help you to Not Get Scammed!
This is the Rossen Reports YouTube channel and the guy running it is Jeff Rossen.
https://www.youtube.com/@RossenReports
The guy talks about all the ways that scammers try to take your money and your data. More broadly, he helps his viewers shop smarter, save money and live their best financial lives.
Recently Jeff Rossen has talked about secrets of shopping at Walmart, Costco, Sam's Club and BJ's. Also about self-checkout traps, Amazon scams, debit card scams, email phishing, ads not to click on, QR code scams, and ways your phone can be taken over.
Today YouTube suggested I watch this Rossen Reports video from May 27 of this year. It has 240K views so far.
Near the beginning, he talks about ways to get scammed via QR codes. The scammer will create a QR code cardboard placard that looks exactly like the ones at restaurants where you can scan to see the menu. They take the one on the table and put the nearly identical one in its place. You sit down and scan the QR code with your phone, and you see a very close replica of the restaurant's website and menu, just as you suspect. But the QR code has taken you to a scam website! Now you run the risk of losing money or losing access to your phone.
Watch the video for more.
At the end of the video, Jeff talks about the proliferation of ALPR Cameras and how they can track you as you drive around town. The cameras are made by a company called Flock, as well as others.
According to copilot:
Flock Safety ALPR cameras are automated license plate readers that capture vehicle data and track movements for law enforcement, businesses, and HOAs across the U.S.
So these Automated License Plate Readers are a very recent modern electronic tool. Like any tool mankind has ever created, it is "dual-use" - which I mean as for good or bad purposes.
Fire - can cook your food, or torch your caveman neighbor's hut.
Arrowheads - Can help you catch the animal you wanna cook, or can harm that guy you don't like from the other tribe.
Knives - can cut your dinner, or cut that dude you think disrespected you.
Cars - can get you from here to there fast and efficiently, or can get you into one of the thousands of accidents that happen daily.
Computers - can bring you the world's knowledge, or can open you up to ridicule, harassment and scams.
ALPR Cameras - can help track the person who just robbed the local Walmart, or can collect data on innocent people which "the government" might use against you someday.
Jeff Rossen tells us about a website that tracks the tracking cameras!
Want to see if there are ALPR Cameras where you are driving every day? Visit this mapping website called deflock maps.
Find out for yourself if you are being tracked without your knowledge!
Most people are Nice!
But some want to flock with you.
