{"id":27921,"date":"2024-10-30T10:44:09","date_gmt":"2024-10-30T18:44:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.spokeo.com\/compass\/?p=27921"},"modified":"2024-10-28T10:45:09","modified_gmt":"2024-10-28T18:45:09","slug":"parking-scams","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.spokeo.com\/compass\/parking-scams\/","title":{"rendered":"Parking Scams Are on the Rise \u2013 Here\u2019s What to Know"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

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 \u2013 like Chicago, which rakes in $264 million in tickets per year, or New York, which sees $545 million in annual ticket revenue<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You know what\u2019s even less popular? Parking meter and parking ticket scams. Or rather, they\u2019re unpopular with people getting <\/em>scammed; unfortunately, they\u2019re 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.    <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Parking Meter Scams Are Having a Moment <\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Starting around 2022 and cruising well into 2024, cities from Redondo Beach<\/a>, California, to Austin<\/a>, 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<\/a>. All these scammer shenanigans ultimately caused the Better Business Bureau<\/a> to issue an official scam alert in July.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How It Works <\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The popular QR-code-centered parking scam is a form of quis<\/a>h<\/a>ing, and, as you may have guessed, relies on a QR code displayed on a parking meter or parking kiosk. Whether it\u2019s an official city meter or one housed on a\u00a0 privately owned lot, the QR code is emblazoned with instructions including a prominent prompt like \u201cPay for Parking Here!\u201d In most cases, you\u2019ll scan the code with your phone\u2019s camera, enter your debit or credit card info, and assume that you\u2019ve paid for parking.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But you might not receive proof that you paid for your parking spot, because your money \u2013 and in some cases, your most valuable private data \u2013 didn\u2019t go to the city\u2019s 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. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the best-case scenario, these parking scams result in you falling victim to a one-time charge that\u2019s way more than parking anywhere should cost, usually about $40 to $50. In other cases, you end up \u201csubscribed\u201d to recurring charges that you definitely didn\u2019t sign up for, possibly even for months at a time before you notice what\u2019s going on. Worst-case, the QR code itself leads to malware that extracts private and financial data from your smartphone, or you\u2019re prompted to enter information that goes straight to phishing scammers, leading to identity theft or ongoing bank account drainage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Parking<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Parking Ticket Scams<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

QR code-based parking scams aren\u2019t alone. Nope, they\u2019re 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. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u2019t exactly sound like something the local transportation agencies who still use computers from 1991 would deal in.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In any case, following that link leads to a result very much like that of QR code parking scams. You\u2019ll most likely be looking at fraudulent fees or, more commonly, phishing attempts<\/a> that leave your personal and financial information in the hands of criminals.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n


Other Common Parking Scams<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

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<\/a> and shakedowns still haven\u2019t gone out of style:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Parking Spot That Never Was<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

In this classic (?) racket, an official-looking parking \u201cattendant\u201d takes your money, directs you to a parking spot, and may even hand you a pay stub in return. The catch? That wasn\u2019t the real parking lot attendant, they\u2019ve gotten your money and ghosted, and you\u2019re now parked illegally. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Lying Lawyer<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

This one goes hand-in-hand with parking ticket scams. Sometimes, those tickets also include an advertisement and contact info for a \u201clawyer\u201d who\u2019ll \u201chelp\u201d you \u201clower the fees.\u201d The problem is, they\u2019re 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<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The At-Fault Hustle<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Here\u2019s a pretty convoluted one, though we\u2019ve got to begrudgingly admit it\u2019s more clever than most. You get a text saying that you unknowingly hit someone<\/a>, or are otherwise at fault for some sort of hit-and-run damage, despite having no memory of such an event. It\u2019s usually a pretty casual text, like \u201cWhy did you hit my car and bail?\u201d To make things a little more convincing, the text may come through shortly after you\u2019ve used a valet service. That\u2019s because in some cases, valets are in on the hoax; in others, the valet service itself, along with your number, has been compromised.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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 \u201caccident\u201d in very general terms if you call the number (though we don\u2019t 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Pay<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

How to Stay Safe<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Unfortunately, we can\u2019t 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. <\/p>\n\n\n\n