Where does the QR code in the express delivery from unknown origin lead to after scanning?

Have you ever experienced pie-in-the-sky stuff? The courier boy knocked on the door and handed over a courier, which contained a "gift worth 99 yuan" and "exclusive VIP treatment", but you never placed an order. Don't be too quick to be happy. The cost of this "surprise" may be greater than you think.

Recently, some express delivery services of unknown origin have taken advantage of consumers’ curiosity and induced recipients to scan codes and add WeChat messages under the guise of free gifts and exclusive benefits. What may seem like ordinary gift delivery may be hiding health product marketing, personal information collection or even fraud risks.

Unsolicited express delivery

Not long ago, 65-year-old Li Desheng (pseudonym) received an express delivery at his home in Nanjing that he had never ordered. His name and address were accurately written on the package. After opening it, there was a small iron box with a combination lock inside. The body of the box is labeled with words such as “Scan the QR code to get the password to open the box”, “Open the 69-99 Lucky Gift Blind Box Gift” and “Gift Health Recipes” to attract recipients to scan the QR code to receive the gift. Li Desheng couldn't make up his mind, so he asked reporters from China Youth Daily and China Youth Daily for help.

Reporters went online and found that Li Desheng's experience was not an isolated case. Zhang Luzhu, a college student, told reporters from China Youth Daily and China Youth Daily that her mother usually has the habit of buying health care products. There are often boxes with passwords like this in the express delivery. You need to scan the code to open the box. When you open it, you will find a ginseng of unknown origin. "(The lockbox) can be placed inside, probably because it has cooperation with the merchant." Zhang Luzhu said.

After scanning the code, risks also come.

Tang Xiang, who is studying for a postgraduate degree at the City University of Macau, told reporters from China Youth Daily and China Youth Daily that he had received an express delivery from an unknown source before, but the package contained a small card with a QR code. Since he had seen promotions such as “scan the code to get cash back and receive red envelopes” in the past, Tang Xiang scanned the QR code without too much doubt.

According to Tang Xiang's recollection, after scanning the code, the page immediately jumped to an unfamiliar network link. In the blink of an eye, the balance of several dozen yuan in his Alipay account disappeared. Tang Xiang then dialed 110 to call the police. However, the police officer informed him that the amount involved did not meet the standards for criminal filing, and he ultimately failed to recover the losses.

This experience made Tang Xiang more vigilant. After that, his mother also received a lockbox express with unknown origin. He repeatedly told his family not to scan unfamiliar QR codes at will, let alone click on Internet links from unknown sources.

In August this year, the Lukou Public Security Bureau in Zhuzhou, Hunan Province released an anti-fraud calendar (anti-fraud propaganda in the form of a calendar produced by public security agencies and other institutions - reporter's note), exposing the "lockbox express" scam method: once you receive a lockbox that has not been ordered, once you scan it If you trace the QR code on it, you will be drawn into the "health care group", and so-called experts and group caretakers will be arranged to "brainwash" and sell fake health care products at high prices; or they will induce fake orders under the guise of continuously watching courses to receive benefits, first gain trust with a small rebate, and then take away all the principal.

Scanning the QR code, the reporter fell into the marketing of health care products

After obtaining Li Desheng's consent, the reporter tried to open the password box, which contained a plastic heart-shaped scraping board. Compared with the "69-99 Lucky Gift Blind Box Gift" marked on the box, this gift seems quite cheap.

Where does the QR code on the box lead to?

After the reporter scanned the QR code, he added an enterprise WeChat contact named "Xiaoyi Group Leader" as an elderly consumer. The other party quickly sent a password and a map of human acupuncture points, and took the initiative to introduce the supporting health courses, saying that he could make money by listening to the video link the next day, and after watching, he could receive a small red envelope.

At 5 o'clock in the morning the next day, "Xiaoyi Group Leader" sent two video links to reporters. After the reporter clicked on it, one of the courses was "Osteology" and another link was themed "Space Nutrition Station", claiming that every family should be able to eat "astronaut quality" products. The progress bar cannot be dragged during course playback. Every time you exit and re-enter, the course will start playing from the beginning.

The course was conducted in the form of a studio interview, and a product promotional video was played at the beginning, introducing a product called "Aerospace Bone Power Multi-dimensional Calcium Tablets". After the promotional video ended, a host and an "expert" named Sun appeared in the studio (the screen showed that the expert's identity was "Deputy Chief Physician", but his unit and specific professional background were not specified).

In the program, the "expert" surnamed Sun first introduced the importance of bone health, and then told about his experience of visiting a calcium tablet manufacturing company, and then began to promote the product, saying that the "Aerospace Bone Power Multi-dimensional Calcium Tablets" are currently in short supply. He has worked hard to win this discount. There is only one day left in the event, and viewers should buy it as soon as possible. The current activity price is 299 yuan per group (6 bottles of calcium tablets).

At around two o'clock in the afternoon that day, the reporter told the "Xiaoyi Group Leader" that he had finished the course. The other party immediately sent a WeChat red envelope of 0.4 yuan and informed me that there would be classes in the evening. Later, the reporter tentatively asked if the calcium tablets introduced in the course were available. The other party responded quickly, saying that they are currently catching up with the promotion, and you can buy 6 bottles for 299 yuan, which is enough for half a year. They also said that many elderly consumers and their families will buy one or two years' worth at a time.

"You are like many of our uncles and aunts who are old. They have been taking calcium tablets all year round." Seeing that the reporter did not reply for a long time, the other party even took the initiative to make a voice call on WeChat.

In order to further verify the product information, the reporter asked whether the calcium tablets were sold in offline pharmacies and whether they could provide photos of the actual products. In this regard, "Xiaoyi Group Leader" did not answer directly, but once again emphasized the preferential price of 299 yuan for 6 bottles, and said that only need to provide name, contact number and delivery address to arrange cash on delivery. The reporter mentioned that the other party had sent him a lockbox express before, so he should know the address information, but the other party did not reply.

When the reporter continued to ask whether the product supports returns and whether it can be purchased in small packages to try out, the other party also did not reply.

The product information displayed in the video is very vague and there is no detailed product introduction. According to the product information provided by the other party, the reporter searched on e-commerce platforms such as Taobao and JD.com and found no similar products for sale.

In addition to the possible property damage, it is also worth paying attention to whether the mini program entered after scanning the QR code will collect consumers' personal information. The reporter further checked the mini program previously used to play health courses and found that it also had a product sales page. When the reporter tried to enter the page, the system popped up a privacy authorization prompt. The reporter checked its privacy protection guidelines and found that the terms involve the collection of personal information such as mobile phone numbers and location information, and the third-party plug-in that is connected will also obtain the user's WeChat nickname and avatar. The reporter did not agree to the relevant authorization, and the page was immediately closed. As for what personal information is actually collected by the mini program and how this information will be used, it remains to be further verified.

Don’t believe in “good things” like pie in the sky

Zhu Chenfei, a lawyer at Jiangsu Zhuzheng Law Firm, pointed out in an interview with a reporter from China Youth Daily and China Youth Daily that sending express delivery is actually no different from handing out leaflets in a fundamental sense. It is a marketing tool for businesses. The most critical thing is to figure out how citizens’ personal information is leaked. If the recipient's name, phone number, and address are obtained through illegal purchases or other methods, citizens' personal information rights may be violated.

As for the box marked "69-99 Lucky Gift Blind Box Gift", but it turned out to be a cheap scraping board. Zhu Chenfei believed that although express delivery was a gift, the actual value of the item did not match the advertised price, which also constituted false propaganda. He further pointed out that if there are exaggerated product values, fictitious product efficacy, etc., it may be suspected of false propaganda; if the purpose of illegal possession is to defraud consumers of property by fabricating facts and concealing the truth, it may be suspected of fraud.

Regarding the so-called "experts" and "trustees" in the group, Zhu Chenfei said that it depends on the nature of the merchant's behavior: if it constitutes fraud in the sense of criminal law, the circumstances are serious, and other people involved in the induction are accomplices.

So, what should the elderly who have already scanned the QR code, joined the group or even spent money do? Zhu Chenfei suggested that once false propaganda is discovered, a complaint can be made to the market supervision department; if fraud is suspected, relevant evidence should be retained in a timely manner and reported to the public security agency.

At the end of the interview, Zhu Chenfei’s most important reminder to the elderly is: don’t believe in “good things” like pie-in-the-sky, and don’t casually scan codes and click on links for unfamiliar express delivery, raise awareness of safety precautions, and protect personal information and property. For the elderly who are not familiar with the operation of mobile phones, their children may also wish to ask more about the source of the express delivery, help verify the information pointed to by the QR code, and put the reminder of "do not scan the code casually" into specific life scenarios.

China Youth Daily·China Youth Daily reporter Tan Sijing Li Chao intern Guo Xinzhe

Source: China Youth Daily November 09, 2026 Page 03