Worryingly simple 'one step' scam allows hacker inside your phone within seconds

Most of us are completely reliant on our phones these days and store all sorts of personal information on them.

We have all our contacts, photos and even banking information available at the touch of a finger, or a simple face scan, which is something of a double-edged sword, given how helpful it can be, but also how easy it can be to get in.

Considering that much of this generation is addicted to our phones and we carry them everywhere we go, they're easy targets for thieves and hackers who are desperate to sell them on or gain access to our personal information.

While having your device nicked on the streets of the UK to have it sent to that one building in China where they seemingly all end up might seem bad, handing over all your information may be far worse.

Don't fall for this clever trick (Getty Stock Image)

It turns out that hackers have come up with an inventive way of getting into your phones, which isn't pretending to be a celebrity such as Brad Pitt and stealing your money, but instead sending you what looks to be a gift.

I know that sounds fun, and plenty of folks might fall for it, as you're likely to get it delivered from a brand you've bought from before, but instead of new clothes, a game or some food, you'll find a QR code inside. Exciting, right?

In a video shared on Instagram, former police officer Bo Braxton Da Savage explained: "So what's going to happen is, you get the package, you're going to look at it and think, 'Aw OK someone sent you a gift'. There's going to be a QR code on the package or in the package.

"[...] And you're going to scan the QR code and once you scan the QR code every bit of information in your phone is going to get sent to the scammer - it's going to send your credit card information, your bank information, your pictures, your phone numbers, your contacts.

"Everything that's in your phone, after you scan that QR code, is going to get sent to the scammer."

Some scams aren't as apparent as others (Getty Stock Image)

So, if you do end up in this situation, the last thing you want to do is pull out your phone and scan the random code, even if you are curious about what it might lead you to.

Adrianus Warmenhoven, from NordVPN, also explained that once you scan a dodgy QR code, if you have an 'unpatched browser' or one with a vulnerability, then your phone will take you to an internet link, which will then allow the hacker to take over and infect your device.

Instead, you might want to search for the more wholesome QR codes out there, such as the one posted by a man in America, simply requesting people to come and hang out with him for five minutes and enjoy a cigarette in New York.