Fake fines and car scams: how scammers can use your car to get money

Parking lots can be unsafe places. Beyond an unattended shopping cart in your blind spot, there are more nasty risks. How to stay safe in the parking lot Yahoo.

Photo: IStock

To be safe in a car, you should always pay attention to your surroundings and follow the rules of the road. But apart from accidents, your car can also be of interest to scammers and other criminals who might try to harm you, especially in parking lots.

Last summer, Fairfax County, Virginia and Atlanta, Georgia officials said they had received reports of fake parking tickets left on people's cars. Although they looked very similar to the genuine ones and used an official template, the receipts actually contained a QR code that redirected drivers to a fake ticket collection website, where they unwittingly entered their billing information.

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Other scammers began to use the same technology in a different way. Late last year, the San Antonio Police Department warned of a scam where QR codes were attached to parking meters, urging drivers to pay for parking via a website. In fact, the fake page was collecting users' personal financial data to commit identity fraud.

Even more recent scams relied on more traditional methods to trick unsuspecting victims. Earlier this year, police in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania warned of scammers trying to sell counterfeit jewelry and watches to people returning to their cars. But now police are warning of yet another potential scam.

The importance of paying attention to what's around you when you get back to your car is a well-known safety tip. But in some cases, even people who seem to offer help can be a threat to you. Framingham, Massachusetts police said they received a call from a woman who said she was robbed after she got off Target.

“When I was about to drive away in my car, they knocked on the window. A gentleman on the driver's side told me there was something wrong with my tire,” Eileen Savoie told the news outlet. “So I rolled down the window and said, 'What do you mean there's something wrong with my tire?'

She explained that the man then told her that something appeared to be leaking from her rear tire. However, she soon learned that this man had no good intentions at all.

“They sprayed balsamic vinegar on my tires and it looked like it was brake lube. Just to distract me,” she said. “While he was distracting me to get out of the car to look at the tire, there was another guy to the right of my car. He must have reached in and snatched my wallet from my purse without my knowledge.”

This is not the only version of tire fraud in the parking lot that the police noticed. In 2019, residents of El Segundo, California reported a spate of similar crimes where perpetrators waited in parking lots after smashing a car's rear wheel.

When the owner of the car returned, one scammer alerted the driver to the problem before offering to help. But while the owners were distracted, a second scammer took the opportunity to steal items from the interior of the car, with one person reporting that $1000 had been stolen from him.

The police say you should be on the lookout and report any potential scammers immediately.

After the incident, Savoia said the scammers unsuccessfully tried to use her debit card to withdraw cash, but were unable to access the money without her PIN. Now she says people need to be on the lookout, warning: “The holidays are coming. They are there. Fraudsters are everywhere."

Authorities are also now warning the public to keep a close eye out for any such tire scams in parking lots in their area and report any incidents. “Someone may have seen these two people in this parking lot... Call us. Let us know. What you think may not provide much information may actually help solve a crime, said Framingham Deputy Police Chief Shawn Riley. — Criminals are moving. So it’s not just Framingham.”

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The El Segundo Police Department issued its own warning in response to a series of incidents in 2019, reminding residents to "be aware of your surroundings when you go to a bank or any other retail location," the department's warning said.

“If a stranger tries to get your attention to tell you that one of your tires is flat, be aware that you may be the victim of a scam,” the post reads.

"This is an old scam used by thieves and it seems to be making a comeback, so be careful!" - the department added.

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