Beware of Fake Parking Tickets the Next Time You’re in Houston, Texas

(Houston, Texas) - Scammers are always wanting to your money. Scammers are always wanting your personal information. They'll send an email, make a threatening phone call or whatever other sneaky method they come up with to panic you into complying with their scheme.

We have to be vigilant when contacted by a scammer. The scam can look very official and/or legitimate. You can easily reach out to make sure whatever it is you got is the real thing. The newest way scammers are stealing is by issuing fake parking tickets Houstonians and its visitors.

Fake Parking Tickets in Houston, Texas

City officials in Houston are letting residents know that scammers are putting fake parking tickets on vehicles that have parked downtown (KHOU). The tickets look very real, too. A picture of one of the fake tickets was shared on social media by the city:

The biggest giveaway the ticket is a fake is the use of a QR code. The city does not do that to pay the fine. Also, legitimate tickets will be on pink paper, not white, like the scam tickets are.

READ MORE: A New Scam is in Texas Sending Cops to Your Home While Demanding Money

How to Spot These Fake Parking Tickets

Other details about the fake tickets are listed below:

• Printed on white paper instead of the legitimate pink NCR paper
• Lack of violation codes and/or payment instructions on the back
• QR codes for payment. The city does not use that to pay the fine
• No violation date, time, and location or the enforcement agent's name and badge number on the ticket

If you get one of these tickets, you are advised to not pay using the QR code, go to houstontx.gov/parking/ to enter the citation number to make sure it's real and report it to Houston police. We're in East Texas, a long way from Houston, I get it, but there are many of us who travel there. The scammer isn't going to know you're not from Houston.

Don't Become a Victim of This Scam

Even with this warning, there will be some people who fall for it and pay the money. This will allow scammers to continue using this method and could use it in East Texas at some point. Don't act on emotion when you get something like this. Contact the proper people to get it all figured out.

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