Quishing scams target parking meters via fraudulent QR codes

Criminals are increasingly using a technique known as ‘quishing’—phishing via QR codes—to steal banking information. This method involves placing fraudulent stickers over legitimate QR codes on parking meters and charging stations.

In Belgium, 17 fraudulent stickers were discovered on parking meters in Bruges, marking a documented case of this specific scam in the country. Similar incidents have been reported in the Netherlands, specifically in Scheveningen, and the US Federal Trade Commission has issued warnings regarding similar scams at parking and charging stations.

Victims often face a double loss: their credit card details are stolen, and because the fraudulent payment does not reach the municipality, they subsequently receive parking fines. Authorities, including the Belgian government's warning point Safeonweb, advise citizens to check if a QR code is a loose sticker or part of the machine's printed surface and to verify the URL of any payment site before entering data.