Users of electric car charging stations in a village in Loiret have been victims of hacking. A fake QR code affixed to the station triggered payments, without providing the expected electricity.
The magic of Christmas unfortunately did not strike as one might have thought in Lorris, a charming town in Loiret (Centre-Val de Loire region), where a charging station for electric cars caused misery for residents, just before the passage of the man with the white beard. Hacked by a fake QR code stuck on it, the station therefore fooled several residents, despite itself. Fortunately, the service provider, INEO, reacted quickly to stop the bleeding.
Hacking via a fake QR code just before Christmas
In Lorris, a charging station for electric cars installed at Place du Mail was compromised by a false QR code. Users were charged without receiving electricity. The mayor of the town, Valérie Martin, tried to reassure by indicating that the amounts concerned are ultimately not that high.
However, it was the responsiveness of the service provider that made it possible to deactivate the terminal and avoid more serious damage. The councilor stressed the importance of being vigilant against the risks of hacking. She now advises her constituents to always check that the QR code links to the service provider’s website. Here, you will have understood, the hostile QR code redirected to a fake site, intended to steal citizens’ banking data.
After this malicious act, the mayor calls on all affected users to report the incident to the gendarmerie, and especially to lodge an objection with their bank.
A small town not spared from scams
The elected official assures that additional security measures will be quickly put in place, to avoid future incidents. Valérie Martin was obviously surprised by this unexpected hack, especially in a small town of less than 3,000 people per year.
But nevertheless, this is not the first time that it has been affected by a scam linked to new technologies. Lucid about the fact that anything computerized can be hacked, she also wanted to point out, to intensify vigilance, that parking meters had already been hacked in the town.
Despite this, the charging station was reactivated after the rapid intervention of the service provider INEO, and users were able to benefit from it normally from December 22, 2023.
Source : The Central Republic
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