Authorities are alerting of a new scam technique involving fake QR codes to possibly siphon personal and banking information.
Paying for a public parking space in South Florida is easy. Parking signs everywhere tell you how to pay by downloading an app, using your credit card, and even scanning a QR code – but this last option will no longer be available in the city of Miami
"We are removing all the QR codes from our side, so now if we do see one, we know that it is fraudulent," said Alejandra Argudin, the chief executive officer of the Miami Parking Authority.
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The Miami Parking Authority has identified several fake QR code stickers covering the original codes on parking signs throughout the city.
"Those QR codes lead you to fraudulent websites that could compromise your banking information when making a payment for parking," Argudin said.
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The agency says they started to investigate after similar scams throughout the country, including Florida. Last month, the city of Fort Lauderdale issued a similar warning to drivers.
While the Miami Parking Authority has not received official notice of theft to customers, the agency is taking steps to protect drivers.
They are asking them to pay through the PayByPhone app, and they are also removing QR codes on more than 7,000 parking signs. The process could take several months, so you may still find some signs with QR codes.
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"So we have our enforcement officers that are always on the street, they are always walking up and down the different blocks of different districts of the city of Miami, and so they have the opportunity to look at the signs and see if there’s a code that doesn’t look right," Argudin said.
The MPA has a 24-hour hotline where you can call to report any QR code that looks fake in the city of Miami.
