Parking machine scam targets drivers in City Centre area of Mississauga

City officials are warning drivers after dozens of bogus QR code stickers were placed on parking machines in Mississauga’s downtown core this week in an attempt to steal people’s personal and financial information.

In a public safety notice issued Friday afternoon, City of Mississauga officials said they became aware on Wednesday of fraudulent QR code stickers appearing on pay-and-display parking machines in the City Centre area of Mississauga.

“City staff responded immediately, within an hour, to locate and remove roughly 80 fraudulent QR code stickers from affected parking machines,” the city said in Friday’s notice to the public. “City crews were deployed to check all parking machines and will actively monitor them to help prevent further incidents and ensure that more fraudulent QR code stickers are not posted.”

Officials added that such unauthorized stickers are “designed to redirect users to third-party payment sites that are not affiliated with the city. Scanning and using these codes puts your personal and financial information at risk.”

The public safety notice continued, noting the city “wants to reassure residents that this issue was addressed quickly and that routine parking use remains safe. City staff continue to monitor parking machines and equipment and respond quickly to reports.”

City officials said similar scams have been reported across Canada including in Toronto, Vancouver, Montreal and Ottawa.

Image shows a fake QR code sticker on a parking machine. Officials say the city never uses such payment methods for parking. (Photo: City of Mississauga)

City officials said residents should be aware that:

• In Mississauga, QR code stickers are never used to collect payment for parking. Parking and payment instructions can be found on the parking machine digital screen or on surrounding official city signage.
• The only way to pay for city parking is through parking machines using the digital payment prompts where you may see an option to use coins, payment apps like Apple Pay or Google Wallet or major credit cards (Visa, Mastercard, American Express) at all locations.
• Any QR code found on a city paid parking machine is not legitimate and should not be scanned.
• Fraudulent QR code stickers are often placed over existing signage or payment instructions and can redirect users to fake payment websites that look legitimate but are designed to steal personal and financial information.

Anyone who encounters a suspicious QR code sticker on a city-operated paid parking machine is encouraged to avoid scanning it and instead report it directly to the city by calling 311.

City officials add that for anyone who may have scanned a QR code sticker, “they should know they are not alone. Peel Regional Police regularly warn residents that scammers increasingly use fraudulent links and QR codes to steal personal and financial information.”

Those who’ve scanned a QR code sticker on a parking machine and believe their personal or financial information has been compromised are encouraged to:

• Immediately contact their credit card company and/or financial institution and report the incident so appropriate steps can be taken.
• Report it to the city immediately by calling 311.
• Monitor financial account activity for unauthorized transactions or suspicious activity.

A regular parking machine in Mississauga, with no QR code sticker present. (Photo: City of Mississauga)