AUSTIN, Texas — Austin Transportation has sent out an alert after fraudulent QR codes were found posted on Downtown Austin parking pay stations.
Officials said the stickers were found over the weekend on more than 24 pay stations across the city.
"People attempting to pay for parking using those QR codes may have been directed to a fraudulent website and submitted payment to a fraudulent vendor," the department said in a press release. "The QR codes linked to a site that is not part of the City of Austin paid parking system and may have been created with malicious intent."
A QR code is defined as a "quick response," two-dimensional bar code that looks like the one seen in the image below:
The department's parking enforcement team will continue inspecting more than 900 pay stations to make sure there are no other fraudulent codes stuck to them. In the meantime, anyone who sees someone tampering with a pay station who is not a badged City of Austin employee can call 911.
The Austin Police Department's financial crimes department is investigating. Anyone who believes they may have been a victim of a credit card breach due to the stickers should file a police report and contact their card issuer as soon as possible. Reports can be filed by calling Austin 311 or by going to iReportAustin.com.
The Austin Transportation Department currently only accepts payment by coins or credit cards at a pay station or by using the Park ATX app.
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