Fraudulent QR code stickers found in Whistler parking lots

Whistler Village, in Whistler, British Columbia. (VisualCommunications/Istock.com)

The Resort Municipality of Whistler is urging anyone who used a QR code to pay for parking on Saturday to contact their credit card company immediately after fraudulent payment signs were found in municipal lots.

On Dec. 27, bylaw staff discovered fraudulent QR code stickers imitating PayByPhone on parking terminals and signs in Whistler Day Lots 1 through 5, on Main Street and the private Marketplace parking lot off Lorimer Road, according to a statement from the municipality issued Monday.

“The QR codes directed users to a fake website designed to collect payment. We believe the payment would have gone to the perpetrators of this fraud,” the statement reads. “Parking customers who scanned these QR codes should contact their credit card company immediately to report the fraudulent activity, cancel their card, and monitor for any more fraudulent transactions.”

The stickers were removed by Sunday and the municipality says no victims of crime have been identified so far. The fraudulent website has also been taken down.

The municipality emphasized that it does not use QR codes for pay parking. People can pay for parking in Whistler at a station with card or coins, on the PayByPhone website or app, or by calling 1-866-234-7275.

“We would like to thank our bylaw services department for their quick action in discovering the QR code and reporting the incident to RCMP. Their quick action has helped ensure the residents and visitors are protected from this form of parking payment fraud,” the municipality wrote.

“The RMOW’s parking system is a safe system which is monitored constantly to prevent fraud and ensure the information collected is protected to the highest possible industry standards. Parking payment fraud is a known form of theft which has affected other municipal systems in B.C.”

Anyone who erroneously received a parking ticket is asked to file a dispute via the RMOW website and email any concerns regarding the QR codes to [e-mail].