Fraudulent QR codes on parking meters sparks public warning amid new app rollout

Montreal Gazette

15-07-2025

Montreal's parking authority is urging drivers not to scan suspicious QR codes spotted on signs across the city, warning they could lead to fraudulent websites.
In a statement issued Friday, the Agence de mobilité durable (AMD) said some of its parking posters had been vandalized with unauthorized QR codes.
The signs are meant to promote the city's new parking app, Mobicité — but they were never designed to include any scannable codes.
'We've been informed that some signs installed on our parking signs have been vandalized with fraudulent QR codes,' the agency said in a statement. 'Our signs, like the one in the image below, do not contain QR codes. If you see any, it's important not to scan them! They can redirect you to malicious websites.'
Teams are now working to identify and remove the altered signs 'as quickly as possible,' the agency said.
The warning has sparked confusion online. A Facebook post from the agency triggered dozens of comments and hundreds of shares, with several residents asking whether they had downloaded a fraudulent version of the app.
The alert comes during a broader transition in Montreal's parking system. The AMD is phasing out its previous app, P$ Service mobile, in favour of Mobicité, which will become the only official parking app as of July 28.
Mobicité offers the same core functionality, like letting drivers pay for parking, but more features are expected in the coming years, including real-time parking availability and customer service tools.
In response to public concerns, the agency clarified that legitimate posters encouraging residents to download Mobicité do not include QR codes and are safe.
'The fraud mentioned in our post only concerns a QR code that was allegedly stuck on some of our posters. Our posters do not contain any QR codes. If you see any, it is important not to scan them,' the agency replied to one user on Facebook.