Like taxes, loud chewers, and people who kick airplane seats, no one likes parking meters and no one likes parking tickets. Except for maybe the cities that issue parking tickets when those meters expire – like Chicago, which rakes in $264 million in tickets per year, or New York, which sees $545 million in annual ticket revenue.
You know what’s even less popular? Parking meter and parking ticket scams. Or rather, they’re unpopular with people getting scammed; unfortunately, they’re on the rise with the people doing the scamming. So put it in park, settle in, and learn how to speed right on past the common parking scams that have been making meters even worse lately.
Parking Meter Scams Are Having a Moment
Starting around 2022 and cruising well into 2024, cities from Redondo Beach, California, to Austin, Texas, have been reporting a new breed of scam: the QR-code-based parking meter scam. Hundreds of bogus QR code stickers have continued to pop up on meters this year, resulting in everything from victims losing $50 or so to having their personal data phished and ending up on the dark web. All these scammer shenanigans ultimately caused the Better Business Bureau to issue an official scam alert in July.
How It Works
The popular QR-code-centered parking scam is a form of quishing, and, as you may have guessed, relies on a QR code displayed on a parking meter or parking kiosk. Whether it’s an official city meter or one housed on a privately owned lot, the QR code is emblazoned with instructions including a prominent prompt like “Pay for Parking Here!” In most cases, you’ll scan the code with your phone’s camera, enter your debit or credit card info, and assume that you’ve paid for parking.
But you might not receive proof that you paid for your parking spot, because your money – and in some cases, your most valuable private data – didn’t go to the city’s Department of Transportation, or to the owner of the parking lot. It went to the scam artist who very likely slapped a sticker with a bogus QR code onto a parking meter.
In the best-case scenario, these parking scams result in you falling victim to a one-time charge that’s way more than parking anywhere should cost, usually about $40 to $50. In other cases, you end up “subscribed” to recurring charges that you definitely didn’t sign up for, possibly even for months at a time before you notice what’s going on. Worst-case, the QR code itself leads to malware that extracts private and financial data from your smartphone, or you’re prompted to enter information that goes straight to phishing scammers, leading to identity theft or ongoing bank account drainage.
Parking Ticket Scams
QR code-based parking scams aren’t alone. Nope, they’re in bad company with a variant of parking scams that rely on old-fashioned, physical parking tickets as well as more modern digital tickets. Enter, parking ticket scams, the no-so-great grandaddy of QR code meter fraud.
In this scam, you might get a text message with a link saying that you owe some sort of parking fine or traffic fee, or you might get a very official-looking paper parking ticket (often printed on receipt paper) on your windshield, also with a link, this time in the form of a QR code. Sometimes, the ticket may even have the audacity to ask you to pay via PayPal, Zelle, Venmo, or some other type of P2P service that doesn’t exactly sound like something the local transportation agencies who still use computers from 1991 would deal in.
In any case, following that link leads to a result very much like that of QR code parking scams. You’ll most likely be looking at fraudulent fees or, more commonly, phishing attempts that leave your personal and financial information in the hands of criminals.
Other Common Parking Scams
If you think phishers, scammers, fraudsters, and con artists would stop at parking meters and parking ticket scams, think again. Often a little more esoteric or elaborate in execution, these parking-related shams and shakedowns still haven’t gone out of style:
The Parking Spot That Never Was
In this classic (?) racket, an official-looking parking “attendant” takes your money, directs you to a parking spot, and may even hand you a pay stub in return. The catch? That wasn’t the real parking lot attendant, they’ve gotten your money and ghosted, and you’re now parked illegally.
The Lying Lawyer
This one goes hand-in-hand with parking ticket scams. Sometimes, those tickets also include an advertisement and contact info for a “lawyer” who’ll “help” you “lower the fees.” The problem is, they’re definitely not a lawyer, and the only thing contacting them will do is get you scammed even harder, taken on a phishing trip, or exposed to malware.
The At-Fault Hustle
Here’s a pretty convoluted one, though we’ve got to begrudgingly admit it’s more clever than most. You get a text saying that you unknowingly hit someone, or are otherwise at fault for some sort of hit-and-run damage, despite having no memory of such an event. It’s usually a pretty casual text, like “Why did you hit my car and bail?” To make things a little more convincing, the text may come through shortly after you’ve used a valet service. That’s because in some cases, valets are in on the hoax; in others, the valet service itself, along with your number, has been compromised.
Like in a real-life fender bender, the texter will then ask you for all kinds of information, like the make and model of your vehicle and your insurance info. A convincing-sounding person may even describe the conditions of the “accident” in very general terms if you call the number (though we don’t recommend calling strange numbers in any case). Of course, any of the information you provide puts you on the path to becoming an identity theft victim.
How to Stay Safe
Unfortunately, we can’t help you when it comes to the need to pay for parking (sorry to all the coastal city dwellers taking out loans to spend a Friday night downtown), but we can help when it comes to making smarter, safer, less scam-prone choices at the meter.
- Pay on the meter, if possible. Using a built-in card reader is generally safer than paying for parking via a QR code.
- If you’re even the least bit unsure of a parking meter’s legitimacy, use a credit card instead of a debit card. Broadly speaking, credit cards include more fraud protection than debit cards.
- Ensure that any QR codes on a parking meter aren’t just stickers, but are actually part of the meter or parking sign.
- Be wary of QR code-generated links that seem less than official. As the BBB’s Melanie McGovern tells USA Today, “If you end up scanning it and you see a short link or a link going to something that doesn’t look like it’s either the municipal parking or the parking ramp, that’s a red flag.”
- Seek out a parking attendant, meter maid, or any other human employee of the parking area and ask for instructions if anything feels fishy.
- Check your bank account after using any sort of parking meter – QR-code-related, digital, app-powered, or otherwise – to ensure that the charge was as stated and legit.
- Don’t pay a parking ticket immediately if you’re not 100% certain of its authenticity. Use Google Image Search to see what legitimate parking tickets in your area currently look like (for instance, search “Dallas parking ticket 2024”) and compare the real thing to the ticket in hand.
- Likewise, call your local ticketing agency to confirm the ticket’s legitimacy before paying up. But don’t call any numbers directly listed on the ticket if you suspect foul play is afoot – look up your local parking enforcement agency’s number instead.
- Use Spokeo People Search to look up strange phone numbers or email addresses on QR-code adorned parking meters, parking ticket “lawyer” ads, or texts from people claiming to be hit-and-run victims. By instantly scanning billions of records, we may be able to shed some light on who that number or email really belongs to.
What to Do If It Happens to You
Especially if you spot an unauthorized, outsized, or fraudulent parking scam charge early, contact your bank or credit card company ASAP. In most cases, they’ll be able to overturn the charge and even block the sketchy debitor from ever taking money from your bank account again. Making the case for reversing multiple or ongoing charges can be a bit more difficult, so make it a habit to check your online bank account and statements regularly.
Whether you suspect something phishy is going on – probably because you once read a super informative Spokeo article on parking scams – or you’ve fallen victim to a parking scam yourself, report it to your local transit authority and to the Better Business Bureau’s Scam Tracker online to help keep the BBB informed, which in turn helps prevent future funny business. Just like paying the (real) meter, it’s important to pay it forward.
As a freelance writer, small business owner, and consultant with more than a decade of experience, Dan has been fortunate enough to collaborate with leading brands including Microsoft, Fortune, Verizon, Discover, Office Depot, The Motley Fool, and more. He currently resides in Dallas, TX.