Is qr.link legit or a scam?
Legitimate QR redirect service with documented use in phishing attacks; the domain itself is safe but individual shortened URLs may be malicious.
These checks passed — but they don't clear the site. A clean antivirus result, valid SSL, and a calm server only mean it isn't hosting malware; they say nothing about whether the business is real. This verdict is based on the site's conduct and content, not a malware detection.
Analysis Summary
Critical risk detected
3 of 92 antivirus engines flag this page as malicious. Multiple independent checks — antivirus engines, browser safety blocklists, and threat databases — flagged this site. Don't enter personal information, deposit money, or download files.
Website Preview
Automated page render — captured in a safe sandbox. What an ordinary visitor would see when loading the site. See full visual analysis →
Visual Screenshot Analysis
We capture a fresh screenshot of the live page and ask a vision model to look for scam visual patterns — fake trust badges, countdown timers, overlay pop-ups, and visual clones of legitimate brands.
Visual red flags detected in the screenshot
The page presents as a legitimate informational landing page for QR.io's qr.link product, with professional design, standard footer links, and no observable scam indicators.
What our vision model saw
5 signalsProfessional, consistent branding with QR.io logo and green color scheme throughout the page
Footer contains standard legal links (Terms, Privacy, Report Abuse, Contact Us) and social media icons
Copyright notice references DENSO WAVE INCORPORATED trademark acknowledgment, indicating legitimate QR code service awareness
Page explains qr.link as a dynamic QR code product of QR.io — informational content with no urgency or pressure tactics
No suspicious forms, countdown timers, fake trust badges, or credential-harvesting elements visible
MT Intelligence
qr.link is a 7.9-year-old domain operated by QR.io to create and track dynamic QR codes. The landing page is professionally designed, contains no credential-harvesting forms, and clearly explains the service's purpose. However, three antivirus engines flag the domain as phishing or malicious, and our research found a documented instance where a qr.link short URL was used in a quishing (QR code phishing) campaign reported by Trellix in 2023. The domain itself is not a scam, but its shortener functionality makes it a vector for phishing attacks — attackers can create QR codes that redirect to credential-theft pages while the qr.link domain remains legitimate. The lack of business registration details and the absence of dedicated scam reports suggest the domain operates as a service provider rather than a direct fraud operation. The moderate risk stems from the documented phishing use case, not from the landing page or operator intent.
Web Research Findings
Our live research agent queries scam-report databases, consumer-review sites, news coverage, and general web search for qr.link, then cross-checks business-registration records and look-alike domain patterns. Everything below is pulled from what it actually found.
- qr.link is a short domain operated by QR.io for dynamic QR codes that redirect to websites, landing pages, or app content while tracking scans.
- The landing page at https://qr.link/ explicitly states it is brought to you by QR.io and links to qr.io for creation.
- One documented instance in a 2023 Trellix report lists a qr.link short URL (qr.link/UJTwgC) as part of a quishing/phishing campaign.
- No dedicated scam reports, Trustpilot, ScamAdviser, or Reddit threads specifically targeting qr.link as malicious were found.
- QR.io itself has multiple user complaints (Reddit, ProductHunt) about deceptive free-to-paid model where dynamic codes deactivate after a trial, requiring subscription.
- Domain age of 2877 days (~7.9 years) indicates it has been in use long-term as a QR redirect service.
- General rise in quishing scams documented across FTC, news, and security blogs, but no specific tie to this domain beyond the single IoC.
- Trellix Researchopen
"hxxps:// qr[.]link /UJTwgC"
Our research found one documented instance of a qr.link short URL weaponized in a phishing attack (Trellix, 2023). However, no dedicated scam reports, consumer-review sites, or complaints specifically targeting qr.link as a fraudulent service were identified. The domain operates as a legitimate QR code shortener; the phishing risk stems from the service's redirect functionality being misused by attackers, not from the operator's intent. QR.io (the parent company) has received user complaints about a deceptive free-to-paid model, but this is a separate business practice issue unrelated to qr.link's core function.
Antivirus Engines
Security Scans
Checked against the major public blocklists used by browsers and security tools — no hits.
Contact Verification
We fetched the page and looked for real-world contact details. Legitimate businesses almost always publish an email on their own domain, a phone number, and a postal address. Scam shops usually don't.
- No contact email found anywhere on the page.
- No phone number listed on the page.
- No postal address visible on the page.
- Links to 3 social profiles.
Domain & Encryption
Redirect Chain
- 1301http://qr.link/
- 2200https://qr.link/
Server Reputation
Avoid this site
Our automated review flagged enough risk that you should treat this site as unverified.
- Do not interact with qr.link
Do not enter credentials, deposit money, download files, or install browser extensions from this site.
- Verify the business through independent channels
Check the company's social profiles, registry records, and search for recent news or reviews that are not hosted on the site itself.
- Never use irreversible payment methods
Crypto, gift cards, wire transfers, and cash apps offer zero buyer protection. Use a credit card or PayPal if you must pay.
- OpenShare your experience
If you have additional context, drop a comment below or post on the MalwareTips forum.
Reputation Sources
How this domain rates across independent threat-intelligence and blocklist providers.
Referenced Domains
Outbound domains this page links to or loads resources from. Each links to its own security scan.
Safety FAQ
Common questions about this site, answered directly from the scan data above — so the answers always reflect the latest verdict on this page.
- Our automated security review flags qr.link as dangerous. Multiple threat indicators were detected — treat the site as a scam until proven otherwise.
- No — qr.link scored 25/100 on our trust scale. We detected active threat indicators, so we recommend avoiding the site entirely.
- Yes. qr.link presents a valid TLSv1.3 certificate issued by Google Trust Services · WE1, expiring in 55 days. Note that SSL only encrypts the connection — it does not guarantee that the site itself is trustworthy.
- qr.link is 7.9 years old, registered on 8/1/2018 through NAMECHEAP. Scam domains are often freshly registered — a site under 6 months old warrants extra caution.
- 3 out of 92 antivirus engines in our malware network flagged qr.link as malicious or suspicious (3 outright malicious). Even one detection is a meaningful signal.
- No. qr.link is not currently listed on the major browser blocklist feeds that modern browsers use.
- qr.link resolves to an IP operated by Cloudflare, Inc. in US (usage type: Content Delivery Network). Hosting location alone doesn't make a site good or bad, but unusual geography for a brand's claimed country is one of many signals we weigh.
- This is a permanent record of the scan run on June 17, 2026. The verdict and evidence above reflect that scan and do not change on their own. If circumstances around qr.link have changed, MalwareTips staff can run a fresh scan, which re-runs every check from scratch and publishes an updated report.
User reviews & comments(0)
Share your experience — "Lost $200 on a fake checkout" is more useful than "Scam". Your review helps others avoid traps.