Parking ticket on windshield of car. Chicago residents are being hit by a shocking new scam that tricks them into paying fake parking tickets – don't fall for it!

Shocking New SCAM Hits Chicago: Illinois Residents Beware of FAKE Parking Tickets!

Chicago residents are being hit by a shocking new scam that tricks them into paying fake parking tickets – don’t fall for it! 🚨 #News #Chicago #ScamAlert

CHICAGO, IL – Brace yourselves, Chicago! A sneaky new scam is preying on unsuspecting residents with fake text messages about unpaid parking tickets. These messages include a link to a bogus website designed to steal your personal details.

Text Messages from Canada?

One local resident, recently got a suspicious text from a number with a 343 area code. Wait, isn’t that Ontario, Canada? You bet it is! The message claimed he had an unpaid parking ticket and provided a link to pay it.

Red Flags Everywhere!

He clicked on the link and immediately noticed something was off. The price was listed as “35.00$” instead of the usual “$35.” A small but telling mistake. That’s when he knew something was fishy.

Scam Alert sign

Fake Website Alert!

The fraudulent site, infraction-park.com, looks pretty legit at first glance. It even sports the City of Chicago’s seal and claims you have unpaid parking invoices from the “City of Chicago Department of Infraction.”

Spoiler alert: this department doesn’t exist!

The site then asks for a treasure trove of personal information – your name, address, ZIP code, email, date of birth, and credit card details. Talk about a data goldmine for scammers!

FOX 32 Investigates

FOX 32 decided to dig deeper. They entered fake names like Jane and John Doe with various ZIP codes on the site. Surprise, surprise – every entry returned claims of unpaid parking tickets.

Identity Theft Danger

Steve Bernas from the Chicago Better Business Bureau warns that falling for this scam could lead to identity theft.

Scammers crave your birthdate and email address to target you with more scams and ads. Once they’ve hooked a live victim, you become a valuable commodity in their shady business.

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Verify Your Tickets!

In Chicago, real parking tickets are handled by the Department of Finance.

If you get one of these scam texts and are unsure if your ticket is legit, head over to the official city website here to check your status.

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Stay Vigilant!

Chicagoans, stay sharp and don’t let these scammers fool you. Always verify any suspicious messages and protect your personal information.

This scam might be sneaky, but with a little caution, you can avoid becoming the next victim.

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