What is inside a payment QR code
It is not just any web link: it contains data that the bank's app interprets, usually under the EMVCo standard (merchant identifier, currency, country, and sometimes the amount and a reference). That is why it cannot be made up with a text generator: the app validates the signature or the format and rejects what it does not recognize.
In Colombia, Bancolombia and Nequi issue their own codes; in Peru, Yape and Plin; in Bolivia, local wallets and banks. Each one works only on its own network. A Yape QR code cannot be collected from Bancolombia.
Static vs dynamic
- Static: identifies the merchant; the customer types the amount. Cheap to print, but prone to errors and hard to reconcile.
- With amount: includes the amount and the reference. It is generated per sale, often from the point of sale or the gateway. It reduces errors and lets you match the payment to the order.
- Payment link: a gateway URL that accepts card or other methods. Useful for remote sales; it is not a bank QR code.
The fraud that does exist
The pattern is always the same: someone says they are going to pay you and sends you a QR code to scan “so you can receive the money”. When you scan it, your app opens a payment authorization or a debit request. A collection QR code never needs the seller to scan anything.
Other warning signs: hurry, the threat of losing the sale, shortened links that are not from your bank, or a supposed “refund” that requires your password. No bank asks for your password through a QR code or a message.
Simple rule: if you did not generate the QR code yourself or download it from your official app, do not scan it to collect.
Reconciliation and the counter
Print the QR code at 8–10 cm, with the merchant's name and the network logo. Add instructions: “Scan, enter the amount and show the receipt”. If you use amount QR codes, have the system mark the order as paid automatically; if not, keep a manual log with time and amount.
Check the code from time to time: a sticker placed on top can divert the payments. And if you change accounts, take down the old posters the same day.
Frequently asked questions
Does QRPro Cloud generate it?
No; only your bank or wallet issues valid payment QR codes.
Can it empty my account?
A collection one cannot; fraud comes from scanning someone else's QR code to “receive”.
Static or with amount?
With amount for reconciliation; static only if the volume is low.
Does it work in another country?
No; each network has its own format and app.