San Diego residents and visitors are targeted by a new phishing scam that attempts to trick individuals into paying for fake parking citations through fraudulent text messages. The City of San Diego has issued a warning, urging the public to remain alert and cautious. Official communication from the city revealed that the scam typically involves a text message alerting recipients of a supposed parking ticket and directing them to a phony payment webpage.
Those behind this deceit are replicating a City webpage, luring unsuspecting citizens to click on a link via SMS and submit their payment information. The City's cybersecurity personnel, in collaboration with the San Diego Police Department, are striving to dismantle the counterfeit site, efforts reflected in a press release by the City of San Diego. They also remind residents that the official channel to check parking citation status or to settle payments is through the website at sandiego.gov/parking/citations or by calling the Parking Administration office.
In tandem with these warnings, the City of San Diego has also taken to Instagram to spread awareness. A recent post from its official account states, "Scam Alert: Some San Diegans have reported receiving FAKE text messages instructing them to pay a "parking invoice”. These notices are fraudulent and are NOT from the City of San Diego." The post reassures the public that the city knows and works to resolve the situation.
To further protect oneself against such online threats, city officials suggest visiting the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center. Should you receive a dubious text message concerning parking citations, refrain from clicking on any included links. Instead, for any questions or concerns over parking enforcement, the City’s Parking Administration can be contacted at 866-470-1308, with lines open from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday through Friday.
