Scammers have found a new way to seize bank account information from unsuspecting drivers.
According to a Reddit user, they were scammed while trying to park at a courthouse and scanned a QR code that had been posted on a parking meter.
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“Just letting you know how I was recently scammed,” said the publish it started.
“I was parking at the courthouse, but there was no change in the parking meter. All parking meters had an official-looking QR code, even to the point of having the city’s name and logo.”
According to the user, he paid for two hours of parking only to realize that someone had placed a fake code on top of the original.
The user said he knew something was wrong with the code when he noticed an $89 charge on his card two days later.
Fortunately, the user’s bank was able to flag the charge before any damage could be done.
Many users clamored to know the name of the city where the scam took place, but one person pointed out that “this happens everywhere” and there was no point.
Earlier this year, a similar scam was reported in Baltimore, Maryland.
The Baltimore City Parking Authority issued a statement warning residents.
“We have two different types of parking kiosks where we saw the stickers. For both, you first enter your license plate number, pay with your card and then go,” said Baltimore Parking Authority spokeswoman Tiffany. James, told NBC affiliate WBAL-TV.
According to James, crews are already trying to remove the defective stickers.
“The parking meter suppliers themselves, IPS and Flowbird, also have technicians. So when they’re doing normal maintenance, they try to take out everything they see,” he added.
In addition to the declaration, the parking authority also posted in the X on the stickers.
“Scammers have been putting stickers on our parking meters that say ‘scan to pay.’ This is not legit,” the social media post reads.
TIPS TO AVOID BEING SCAMMED AT THE PARKING METER
The Better Business Bureau has released three guidelines on how to avoid getting scammed when trying to pay for parking
- The Better Business Bureau advises that people trying to pay at the meter must interact directly with the devices connected to it.
- It is advised that before paying for parking you ensure that nothing appears “off” on the meter that could signal that it may have been tampered with.
- The third piece of advice is to research in advance the use of parking meters in the city and whether or not they use QR Codes.
“We are removing these stickers as we find them. Follow the instructions on the meter display to pay. Do not scan the QR code printed on the stickers.”
“If you would like to report the removal of a sticker, please email ezparkmeters@bcparking.com,” a follow-up post reads.
It was recently revealed that the new scam has expanded its operations to include New Jersey, Pennsylvania and New York.
According to WPST. withThe Better Business Bureau has offered several tips to avoid being scammed.
The Bureau said you can avoid most scams if you pay for parking directly through your parking meter and devices connected to it.
Tip number two states that you should check the machine for anything “wrong” that could trigger an internal alarm bell.
According to the Bureau, visitors to a new city should research the city’s policy regarding metered parking, as the website may reveal whether or not they use QR codes to park.
This story originally appeared on The-sun.com read the full story
