DRIVERS have been warned to watch out for a scam stealing their identity through parking meters.
A parking garage in Charlotte, North Carolina has been plagued with fake QR codes posted on parking meters to scam drivers out of money, according to local reports.
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Tom Bartholomy, president of the Better Business Bureau (BBB), told WCNC-TV that he'd almost been scammed with a fake QR code himself, proving how elaborate the scam really is.
If it wasn't for the sticker peeling off of the garage's real QR code, Bartholomy would have fallen for it - like many before him.
"I just peeled the back a little bit, and there was another QR code behind it," Bartholomy said.
"That's when I learned of this type of scam. They're creating their own QR codes, going around pasting them over existing QR codes on parking meters or on larger signs that are parking lots and misdirecting people to their own website to capture their payment information."
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QR codes make paying for parking convenient, as the entire transaction is done on a mobile phone.
With fake QR codes, though, scammers then have access to someone's banking information and email address.
"We need to be aware because two bad things can happen," he said.
"You're going to be making payments to somebody that's not going to have anything to do with your parking. And they are stealing your identity at the same time."
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This isn't the first time the BBB has caught scammers tricking motorists this year.
In January, the organization reported scammers making and posting fake parking tickets on people's cars, playing off of people's fear of being towed.
With the increasing dependency on our smartphones to handle everything, scammers are becoming more savvy.
"What we found through recent studies is that the demographic being targeted most by scammers is 25- to 34-year-olds, very tech savvy but not necessarily scam savvy," Bartholomy said.
"They use their smartphone for everything."
In order to not be scammed, Bartholomy advises people to pay closer attention to QR codes being posted over other parking signage, don't risk it.
"Whether it's on a parking meter or a sign, if it's an adhesive piece that's over something else, don't do it," Bartholomy said.
If you think you've been scammed by a fake QR code, he also strongly suggests contacting your credit agency and freezing your account to prevent scammers from using your card(s).
After your accounts have been frozen, it's also wise to report the QR code to the BBB.
