Should you be worried about QR payment systems at Waterloo Region parking lots?

Safety warning when using QR parking codes Drivers can now scan a QR code to pay for parking. Ashley Bacon tells us how the app works, and what scammers are doing to game the system.

Concerns have been raised about a new parking app used at lots in Waterloo Region.

In some instances, at other lots around the country, fraudsters have placed their own QR code on top of the legitimate one that drivers scan to pay for parking.

The new system was first introduced last fall.

“We rolled it out to about four of our parking lots at that point in time,” said Tracey Segeren, the property management manager for the Region of Waterloo. “It was just a way to get up to speed with the times. We had a lot of complaints from folks because we were strictly a coin cash operation and we didn’t have the credit card option on our machines.”

The region, in partnership with the company HONK, then switched to a digital payment platform.

“We give them a system that allows them to charge for their parking and take payments from their customers on the customer side of things,” said HONK CEO Michael Back. “We’re really just the fastest, simplest and easiest way to pay.”

But like any new technology, scams can pop up.

Fraudsters in Ottawa recently added fake QR codes to parking meters. When users scanned the code, they unknowingly shared their personal information.

“We are seeing cyber scammers across the country use QR codes, stickers of them overlaid over legitimate QR codes to trick us into visiting their website, [which is] not a legitimate website,” said technology analyst Carmi Levy.

There are, however, ways to protect yourself.

If you’re worried about using a QR code, switch to another payment option.

“A text to pay in our mobile app can be done on the [HONK] website,” said Back. “We offer multiple ways to pay.”

“If you have the option of typing in the address of the website that you want to visit, for example, your parking will go directly to the parking authority’s website in your browser,” Levy advised.

The region is also taking extra steps to keep drivers from getting scammed.

“All of our signs are printed signs,” said Segeren. “We don’t use stickers with QR codes. We would reprint a sign before we would apply a sticker. We do also have our security team check our signs on a daily basis just to ensure that nothing has been applied.”

There have been no reports of this scam happening in the region but if you suspect you’ve shared your information with a fraudster, contact your credit card company and police.