Phishing scam targeting parking in Vernon

Fraudsters are attempting to steal money from Vernon residents and visitors.

Phishing scams have been targeting parking apps, including HotSpot, the third-party parking payment provider in Vernon.

The City of Vernon warns that these scams usually appear online during searches, and involve fraudulent websites or advertisements designs to look like legitimate service providers with the goal of deceiving people into providing credit card or personal information through the fake online portals.

To avoid these scams, the city advised people use the official HotSpot App only to make online parking payments; beware of ads claiming to be the service provider; and verify that you are using the proper website as it will ask for a parking zone or vehicle information, as those are usually not included in the scam attempts.

Anyone who comes across a suspicious website or app are advised to immediately report it to the proper authorities, such as the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre.