A town in our region is dealing with fraudulent activity surrounding parking QR codes. The Town of Collingwood is advising residents and visitors to be vigilant when using a HotSpot QR code to pay for parking downtown. Officials say they received a report of a bogus QR code placed over top of the town’s QR code at Sunset Point Park. The user reported that when upon scanning, the code takes them to an unauthorized website that prompts them to enter personal and financial information. According to the town, bylaw staff tested all the QR codes on HotSpot parking signs throughout the waterfront areas and downtown, and did not experience any fraudulence and found they were functioning correctly. To ensure town parking signs are working correctly and not being tampered with, staff will make routine checks moving forward. Officials recommend people to always check QR codes for signs of tampering, damage or stickers placed over the original code. They should also ensure the code leads them to the official HotSpot parking website. If you find a suspicious code, the town encourages people to contact Service Collingwood.
