Perhaps no symbol is as emblematic of dining out in the modern era as the QR code. It graces our tables at restaurants, beckoning us to pull out our phones and scan. QR is short for "quick ...

Barlow says anyone can create a QR code and hide dangerous links in the black-and-white jumble. Scammers have been known to use stickers to cover up legitimate codes with their own codes.

Is there such a thing as animated QR codes? And could they work? Even those who may not know how exactly QR codes work have pretty much been exposed to them by now.