If you’ve received an unexpected parking ticket or parking fine via SMS, it’s highly likely to be a phishing scam. A fake parking fee SMS scam is doing the rounds, but you can spot it with these handy tips.
What Is the Fake SMS Parking Fee Phishing Scam?
Cities across the US have warned of an ongoing phishing scam that uses text messages to trick unsuspecting victims into paying a fake fine for a parking violation. The scam advises that if the initial fee is ignored, the fine will increase by $35 per day.
SMS phishing scams have been seen in numerous cities across the US, including Boston, Detroit, Charlotte, San Francisco, and many others. The scam message uses very similar language across all locations, advising the recipient:
This is a final reminder from [Insert City Name] regarding the unpaid parking invoice. A $35 daily overdue fee will be charged if payment is not made today.
Each fake parking fee SMS includes a URL for a payment platform, which sends money directly to the scammers—along with your payment information. The initial amount requested varies by location. Bleeping Computer reported a fee of $4.60 in New York.
Cleverly, the scammers use a Google.com redirect in the URL to avoid the phishing and scam detection built into your device. Because the link resolves to a trusted domain, it isn’t detected as a scam and is displayed in your messaging app.
How to Avoid the Fake SMS Parking Fee Scam
Thankfully, this parking fee phishing scam is easy to avoid once you know the signs.
First, consider if you’ve even visited the city and requested payment. If you haven’t been there, it’s clear that this is a scam. Second, most of these fake SMS come from a random number. As a general rule of thumb, if a random number contacts you requesting money, it’s a scam and can be ignored.
