City warns of parking scam that uses fake QR codes

The city is warning drivers about a scan scam targeting city parking spots with fake QR codes.

The fake QR (quick response) codes were found on parking machines downtown and in Vanier. If scanned with a smart phone, the codes take the user to a fraudulent version of the city’s pay-by-phone parking website. Once there, the scanners could potentially steal the user’s credit card information.

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Although the fraudulent site appears real, a close examination of the URL shows it to be “poybyphone” with an “o” instead of an “a”.

The first fraudulent sticker was discovered last Thursday during a routine inspection, Scott Caldwell, the city’s manager of parking services, said in an emailed statement Monday.

“This finding prompted a thorough investigation, during which all City of Ottawa Pay & Display parking machines across the city were inspected. As a result, we identified a total of 51 machines that had been tampered with on Rideau Street, the ByWard Market, and Vanier areas,” he said.

All the stickers have now been removed, Caldwell said.

The city has about 650 of the parking machines in service, but does not use QR codes on any of them. Anyone who sees a machine with a QR code sticker is asked to report it by calling 311.

Anyone who’s fallen victim to the scam is advised to report it to Ottawa police. Police could not say Monday how many complaints they’ve received, if any, or if an investigation is underway.

Meanwhile, to pay for parking by phone, download the official app at paybyphone.com or in the respective app stores for iPhone or Android phones.