A new form of fraud is striking in the Netherlands: criminals are sticking fake QR code stickers on parking meters.
Police and municipalities are sounding the alarm after the stickers were recently found in several cities. By scanning the QR codes, parkers are directed to fake payment websites that are intended to steal bank and credit card details.
The fraudulent stickers have been spotted in Amsterdam, Maastricht and Sittard-Geleen in the past week. In Amsterdam, they were placed on parking meters with the logo of EasyPark, a popular app for digital parking. The stickers said 'Scan & Pay'. Anyone who scanned the QR code ended up on a fake website that looked very similar to the official EasyPark site. Credit card details were requested.
In Maastricht, a similar sticker with a pink border and EasyPark logo was found on several parking meters. In Sittard, residents found stickers with a so-called 'Pay by Phone' logo on a parking meter on Tempelplein in the city centre. The municipalities have now removed all the stickers found and made them unusable, but the threat remains.
criminal tactics
Tech journalist Daniël Verlaan, journalist at RTL News, explains how the scammers operate go: “The QR codes lead to a fake website that looks like the official site of EasyPark or another well-known parking service. In order to appear credible, the sites ask for parking data such as the license plate and the desired parking time. Then a payment request follows. The payment data that you enter directly ends up in the hands of criminals.”
According to Verlaan, both bank details and credit card details can be used to financially exploit victims. “It is sophisticated, because everything looks professional and reliable. This scam plays on people's habit of paying quickly and easily with their phone.”
Police, municipalities and parking company EasyPark warn of fraudulent QR codes that are stuck on parking meters. "The parking world is currently dealing with phishing attempts via e-mail, text messages and QR codes", according to EasyPark via a warning banner on its own website.
Although the first signs of this form of fraud emerged in the Netherlands a few months ago, the phenomenon had already been active in Belgium, Germany and Ireland. In the Netherlands, the stickers were first discovered in May, in the Amsterdam district of De Pijp. In the meantime, the fraud seems to be spreading further, but the exact extent of the damage remains unclear.
alertness
The police are calling on parkers to be alert. “If you see such stickers, report it to us,” says a spokesperson for the Amsterdam police. “If you have become a victim, it is important to report it. This will allow us to gain better insight into the extent of this fraud and take more targeted action.”
Several municipalities have also shared warnings via social media and their own channels. They emphasize that official parking meters do not use separate QR codes. Paying via the machine or a verified parking app is always the safest option.
tips to prevent
To protect yourself from this scam, the police advise never to just scan QR codes on parking meters. Always check whether the parking meter uses an official payment system and do not enter personal data on unknown websites. If you are still in doubt, it is better to use a verified parking app or pay directly at the machine.
Although the stickers have now been removed in the affected cities, there is still a risk that criminals will strike again in other places. That is why the police and municipalities emphasize the importance of vigilance and reporting suspicious situations in time.
