RCMP investigating after fraudulent QR codes found on 75 Kelowna parking meters | Globalnews.ca (globalnews.ca)

submitted 1 day ago by new_otters_raft@piefed.ca to c/canada@lemmy.ca

9 comments fedilink hide all child comments

I was going to post this in !britishcolumbia@lemmy.ca, but this is likely a national / international problem.

City officials say the QR codes were not authorized by either the municipality or its mobile payment provider, PayByPhone. While the stickers appeared to advertise a convenient way to pay for parking, they actually redirected drivers to a fraudulent site.

I guess it's best to either use the machine (while jiggling the card reader), or you keep the official app pre-installed on your device

top 9 comments

sorted by: hot top controversial new old

[-] kent_eh@lemmy.ca 3 points 17 hours ago

I guess it's best to either use the machine

They removed the machines in my city. There are only signs telling you to use the city's parking app.

An app that has a history of not working properly.

[-] big_dog_pie@piefed.social 7 points 1 day ago

No one should EVER scan a random QR code.

[-] HeyThisIsntTheYMCA@lemmy.world 1 points 12 hours ago* (last edited 12 hours ago)

awww i want to get a shirt with a QR code that leads to an image of me and my cat giving them a thumbs up

it's so dorky i love it.

[-] yardy_sardley@lemmy.ca 11 points 1 day ago

Wow, someone should tell the City of Edmonton about this. Last year they eliminated physical parking machines in the city, and there is a QR code on basically every parking sign now. I wonder if anyone considered how vulnerable QR codes are to these imitation scams.

I assume they already have active countermeasures in place, but then again, online-only street parking seems rather ill-conceived to begin with.

[-] new_otters_raft@piefed.ca 4 points 1 day ago

That sounds rough for people who don't have a smartphone, if you forget it somewhere, if it's out of power, etc

[-] kent_eh@lemmy.ca 2 points 17 hours ago

It's also a pain in the ass for travellers to need yet another bloody app each time they visit a new city.

[-] deeferg@lemmy.ca 14 points 1 day ago

How long til we're back to physical machines with card slots again? I guess they'll have to add some sort of tapping feature for everyone carrying phones and watches for their wallets now. But QR codes have always been the stupidest way to try and set these up, but it's also the cheapest so no wonder that's what they went with.