The City of Ottawa is alerting residents to a new scam on the parking machines that sends people to a fake PayByPhone website.
The QR code is a sticker placed on real city posters that leads people to a fraudulent website. The stickers are near city-run parking machines and metres.
“Residents are asked not to scan any QR code that has been placed on a Pay & Display machine, as the city does not include this option on the machines,” a statement reads.
Anyone who has fallen victim to the scam are being asked to verify with their credit card company and contact Ottawa police.
There are 650 Pay & Display machines around the nation’s capital and staff are inspecting them all to remove any of the stickers.
The public is being asked to report the QR code by calling 3-1-1 to alert staff so that the stickers can be removed immediately.
The city asks residents to pay for parking by an official app for iPhone and Android.