Bucharest City Hall warns of fake QR codes on parking meters

Bucharest City Hall has issued a warning about fraudulent QR codes placed on parking meters, cautioning drivers that scanning them could lead to financial losses. Authorities said the city’s parking system does not use QR codes for payments.

The alert follows the discovery of fake QR code stickers in the central Unirii area, which redirect users to counterfeit websites designed to mimic official payment platforms. These pages request sensitive bank card details, the City Hall said, including card number, expiration date, and CVC code, without processing any actual payment.

“The payment is not processed, the parking is not validated, and your banking data may be exposed,” reads the official alert.

Drivers are urged not to scan any QR codes displayed on parking meters and to use only official payment methods, including SMS, the Parking București app, partner apps such as AmParcat and Qport, parking meters, SelfPay stations, or the official online platform.

The authorities have launched an investigation to identify those responsible and are working to remove the fraudulent stickers, the amendment source said.

The City Hall also mentioned that no individuals are authorized to collect parking fees in person, warning against so-called informal attendants and urging citizens to report such cases to the local police.

(Photo source: Inquam Photos/Octav Ganea)