Drivers in Mississauga are being urged to stay alert after scammers targeted parking machines in the City Centre area by placing fake QR code stickers designed to steal personal and banking information.
The City of Mississauga said officials discovered the fraud earlier this week after unauthorized QR codes were found attached to pay-and-display parking machines in the downtown core.
City crews responded quickly and removed approximately 80 fraudulent stickers from affected machines. Staff were also sent to inspect other parking stations and continue monitoring the area to prevent more fake codes from being installed.
Officials warned that the QR codes redirect users to third-party websites that are not connected to the city. Anyone who scans them and enters payment details could risk having sensitive personal or financial information stolen.
The city emphasized that legitimate municipal parking machines in Mississauga do not use QR code stickers for payment. Parking instructions are displayed directly on the machine screen or on official city signage nearby.
Residents were reminded that valid payment methods include coins, tap options such as Apple Pay or Google Wallet, and major credit cards including Visa, Mastercard and American Express.
Any QR code sticker found on a city parking machine should be treated as fraudulent and should not be scanned.
The city noted similar scams have recently appeared in other Canadian cities, including Toronto, Vancouver, Montreal and Ottawa.
Anyone who notices a suspicious code on a parking machine is encouraged to report it through 311.
People who may have scanned one of the fake codes are being advised to immediately contact their bank or credit card provider, report the incident to the city, and closely monitor accounts for unusual activity.