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Pinellas County deputies warn of fake QR code parking scams
The Pinellas County Sheriff's Office says scammers are putting fake codes on signs and pay stations to steal information and money. FOX 13's Kailey Tracy reports.
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - They’re convenient, but law enforcement says you should think twice before scanning a QR code.
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The backstory:
Scammers are creating fake codes and putting them over the real ones on parking meters, signs and parking pay stations. The fraudulent codes can take you to a site that steals your information and your money.
"It was probably $1,000 to $1,100 that quickly," Lyn Reitz, a victim of a QR code scam, said.
Only about one minute after Reitz tried to pay for parking in downtown St. Pete a couple of months ago, her phone started beeping.
"I got out of the car, started to walk into the meeting and my phone started dinging because I have, you know, fraud protection on my credit cards. And it was like, ‘Your card was just hit for $199 and $299 and $399 and $99,’ and I was like, ‘Oh, what has happened here?’" Reitz said.
Reitz scanned the QR code on the meter to pay for parking, but it was a fake code sticker that a scammer put over the real code. That scammer got all of Reitz’s credit card information.
"It was an awakening to me. I just didn't realize how easy it would be for someone," Reitz said.
The Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office recently posted a warning about just how easy it is.
"Scammers are hoping you'll scan their QR code that will take you to a site designed to steal your information," the deputy says in the video posted to PCSO’s social media pages. "They hope you won't question whether it took you to the correct site and just enter your card info. Then they'll charge your card whatever they want, and your parking, it won't even be paid for."
What they're saying:
It’s not just parking QR codes. Cybersecurity expert Anthony Mongeluzo says you should have your guard up when it comes to any QR code.
"If you're going to Joesuperstore.com, and you scan the QR code at Joe's and the website is Joe's store at xyz.org, that's not the right website," Mongeluzo said. "So, just go directly to that site. So, it's really more about being aware and just taking that extra few seconds to look at what's going on."
Always check that a QR code isn’t a sticker, the sheriff’s office said.
"If you do scan it, verify where it took you. If there are typos, bad design, or faulty grammar, it probably isn't the correct site. For parking meters, you're better off finding the app in your phone's mobile store," the deputy says in the video.
Reitz says she is sticking with paying for parking the old school way when she can, with change. Her bank caught the fraudulent activity, and luckily, she wasn’t charged, and they canceled her card.
The Source: This article was written with information provided by the Pinellas County Sheriff's Office, a cybersecurity expert and QR code scam victim Lyn Reitz.