The City of Ottawa is warning residents about a new scam targeting its “pay and display” parking machines.
On Friday, the city said it had recently discovered stickers with a fake QR code attached to “various” parking machines.
“When scanned with a smartphone, [the QR code] navigates residents to a fraudulent version of the PayByPhone website,” the city warned.
The city said it has no such payment option on its pay and display machines, and asks residents not to scan the codes.
On Friday, the city said staff are currently inspecting Ottawa’s roughly 650 pay and display machines for more of the stickers.
“If you see a QR code on any of these machines, call 3-1-1 to alert staff so that the stickers can be removed immediately,” the city asked residents.
There’s a new scam where QR code stickers are being added to <a href=”https://twitter.com/hashtag/OttCity?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>#OttCity</a> parking machines. If you are using your phone to pay for parking, please ensure you’re using the official app or the right link.<br>Learn more about this, and how to pay for parking, here: <a href=”https://t.co/usQzusIG7q”>https://t.co/usQzusIG7q</a> <a href=”https://t.co/IStSuCb9OB”>pic.twitter.com/IStSuCb9OB</a>
—@ottawacity
Residents who suspect they’ve fallen victim to the scam are encouraged to check with their credit card provider and contact Ottawa police.
Some motorists told CBC the scam would be an easy one to fall for.
“It’s automatic for you [to] just open the camera on the smartphone and just scan the QR code,” said Thales Dutra, who often parks downtown.
“It’s good to check everything. Don’t trust it at first, question it,” added Ervin Jean-Pierre, who told CBC he planned to review his banking records after hearing about the scam.
Residents are reminded to use the correct payment methods at parking machines, which include downloading the official app, visiting PayByPhone.com or calling 613-691-1700.