A network of malicious QR lawmaking generators has stolen more than $40,000 from Bitcoin (BTC) users in i month.

At least nine fake Bitcoin-to-QR code generators have been spotted in recent weeks, with security researcher, Harry Denley, first tweeting that he had identified two domains hosting fake QR code applications on March 22.

Denley later identified seven other domains sharing the same interface — suggesting that they are all created by the same developer.

Fake Bitcoin QR lawmaking generators steal over 7 BTC

The malicious programs promise to catechumen a user's Bitcoin address into a QR code, claiming to eliminate the risk of the user losing their funds every bit a result of typos when entering or sharing their accost — a service offered past every popular block explorer and nearly mobile wallet applications.

Notwithstanding, the QR code generated past the programs is ever the same address — diverting the victims' funds to the malicious plan's developers. The supposed QR generators stand for to five unlike wallets, which have absorbed more than seven BTC, probable from the apps' victims.

The malicious websites are bitcoin-barcode-generator.com, bitcoinaddresstoqrcode.com, bitcoins-qr-code.com, btc-to-qr.com, create-bitcoin-qr-code.com, gratis-bitcoin-qr-codes.com, freebitcoinqrcodes.com, qr-code-bitcoin.com, and qrcodebtc.com.

'Bitcoin transaction accelerators' accumulate 17.6 BTC

The websites are hosted by 3 different servers that collectively host roughly 450 other websites that appear sketchy — with the sites featuring keywords related to coronavirus, Gmail, and various cryptocurrencies.

Among the sites are several purported "Bitcoin transaction accelerators," which claim to speed up BTC transfers in exchange for a 0.001 BTC. The BTC addresses associated with the supposed 'accelerators' have absorbed more 17.vi BTC — taking in nearly $110,000.

Crypto scams capitalize on coronavirus fears

Opportunistic scammers accept sought to capitalize on the COVID-19 pandemic — with UK county regulators, the Texas State Securities Board, and the US Commodity Futures Merchandise Commission issuing warnings about the proliferation of coronavirus crypto scams over the past week.

Contempo scams have also impersonated the World Wellness Organization in an attempt to siphon donations, and taken the form of apps purporting to track the spread of coronavirus.