The City of Mississauga is warning residents and visitors after fraudulent QR code stickers were found on parking machines in Downtown Mississauga. City staff removed roughly 80 unauthorized stickers that were designed to redirect drivers to fake third-party payment websites, putting personal and financial information at risk.

The City of Mississauga is warning drivers to avoid scanning QR codes found on parking machines after fraudulent stickers were discovered on Pay and Display machines in Downtown Mississauga.

The City became aware of the scam on April 22, 2026. Within an hour, staff were deployed to locate and remove the fraudulent QR code stickers. Roughly 80 unauthorized stickers were removed from affected parking machines.

The stickers were designed to redirect users to third-party payment websites that are not affiliated with the City. Anyone who scanned the codes and entered payment information may have exposed personal or financial details to scammers.

Mississauga officials say QR codes are never used to collect payment for City parking. Drivers should instead follow the instructions displayed on the parking machine screen or official City signage.

The City says legitimate parking payments can be made through the parking machines using accepted payment methods such as coins, Apple Pay, Google Wallet, and major credit cards, including Visa, Mastercard, and American Express.

Any QR code found on a City paid parking machine should be treated as fraudulent and should not be scanned.

The City said crews were sent to check all parking machines after the stickers were discovered. Staff will continue monitoring parking machines and equipment to help prevent additional fraudulent stickers from being posted.

Similar QR code parking scams have been reported in other Canadian cities, including Vancouver, Montreal, Ottawa, and Toronto. These scams often involve stickers placed over or near legitimate parking instructions, directing users to websites that appear official but are controlled by fraudsters.

Fraudulent QR codes can be difficult to identify at first glance. They may include partial logos, copied branding, or wording that makes them look like a normal part of the payment process. In some cases, the fake website may closely resemble an official payment page but use a slightly altered web address.

Mississauga residents are being advised to watch for QR code stickers placed on or near parking machines, especially if the code asks users to scan it to pay for parking. Drivers should also be cautious of any unfamiliar website asking for credit card or personal information.

Anyone who sees a suspicious QR code on a City parking machine should avoid scanning it and report it by calling 311 so staff can remove it quickly.

For anyone who may have scanned a fraudulent QR code and submitted payment information, the City recommends contacting their credit card company or financial institution immediately. Residents should also monitor their accounts for unauthorized transactions and report the incident to the City.

Victims of fraud are encouraged to attend a Peel Regional Police Division or Community station to file a fraud report. Peel Regional Police do not take fraud reports by phone.

The City says it may use QR codes in official promotional materials, but those codes are accompanied by clear City branding and a City-customized URL. QR codes are not placed on parking machines and are not used to process parking payments.

The warning is a reminder that scammers are increasingly targeting public payment systems and using familiar technology to make fraudulent websites appear legitimate. Drivers should rely only on official parking machine prompts and trusted payment methods when paying for municipal parking.

The post Mississauga Warns Drivers About Fraudulent QR Codes on Parking Machines appeared first on Canadian Fraud News Inc. | Fraud related news | Fraud in Canada.

Originally published on Canadian Fraud News.