QR Code Scams (Quishing)
A sticker placed over the real QR code on a parking meter or restaurant menu sends you to a phishing site. Hard to spot, trivially cheap to deploy. Major cities are seeing thousands of compromised meters a month.
How it worksThe anatomy of the scam
Every case follows roughly the same playbook. Recognize the pattern, stop it early.
1. The sticker
Scammers print QR stickers and slap them over the real ones on meters, table tents, and delivery lockers.
2. You scan
The URL looks close enough to the real one that most people don't notice.
3. The fake payment form
You enter your card details 'for the parking fee' — they're harvested.
4. The loss
Fraud charges appear on your card within hours. You also still owe for parking.
Warning signsRed flags to watch for
If you're seeing two or more of these, assume it's a scam until proven otherwise.
Sticker looks recently applied
Peeling edges, off-center placement, obvious layering.
Domain doesn't match the city/brand
Read the URL before entering any details.
Asks for more than it should
A parking meter doesn't need your Social Security number.
Protect yourselfDo this. Not that.
✓ Do
Use the official app (ParkMobile, PayByPhone, etc.) instead of scanning meter QR codes.
✗ Don't
Don't enter payment info on a site you reached via a QR code you don't trust.
✓ Do
Inspect QR code stickers for tampering before scanning.
✗ Don't
Don't scan QR codes from unsolicited emails — 'quishing' is now a major phishing vector.
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