Calgary warns of fake parking ticket scam: 'Destroy it'

The Calgary Parking Authority says many people are finding illegitimate parking tickets on their vehicles and it wants Calgarians to protect themselves from fraud. (Supplied/X/Calgary Parking Authority)

The Calgary Parking Authority says it has seen the rise of a scam where fraudsters are slapping fake parking tickets on vehicles around the city.

Speaking Tuesday, officials did not say how many of the phony violations by scammers posing as CPA officials they have found.

Referencing an image posted on X, the authority said the fake tickets contain a lot of the same information as real ones, including a fine table, but refer recipients to a fake website.

"Our official payment websites are: calgaryparking.com/tickets and parkingtickets.calgaryparking.com," the CPA wrote.

"If you identify a fake ticket, destroy it immediately and do NOT follow any instructions on it."

Anyone who receives a parking ticket is always encouraged to verify it by calling the CPA at 403-537-7000 with the number printed on it or check it using the agency's official website.

It also encouraged to report any fake tickets to Calgary police by calling the non-emergency line at 403-266-1234.

This is the second scam that's targeted the CPA in recent months.

In April, the authority warned the public about phony text messages being sent out to Calgarians, asking them for payment of non-existent fines.

It asked that anyone who receives a text message like this to report it to police.