If you have recently received a parking ticket, review the official paperwork before paying, as a parking ticket scam is circulating.
Several people in Oakland have been printing fake parking tickets for $74, and putting them up all over cars. The tickets look identical to the real citations the City of Oakland issues to drivers.
These phony tickets have been appearing on vehicle windshields in Uptown, around Broadway, and on 24th Street in Oakland, California. Several reports regarding these tickets have come from the Oakland YMCA, a gym on Broadway Street. 
Also, there have been reports about text messages sent to the public demanding money for traffic violations. The court does not contact people via text or phone, so these messages are not officially from Alameda County.
Additionally, these fake ticket scams are becoming more common each year as smartphones make it faster and easier for people to pay. Many people think they are official because it says in fine print, “Failure to respond could lead to serious consequences.” Also, they include a violation number that is exactly one digit off the real numbers that the city of Oakland issues. Fake QR codes are also on the tickets, directing citizens to pay online on their cell phones.
“Another scam. It’s really sad. There are so many people just out to scam, not to make an honest living,” says Oakland resident Dan Sullivan. The Oakland police suspect that a team is likely issuing these tickets and making a lot of money from it.
The city of Santa Cruz also reported fake parking tickets earlier this year. They ran a similar scam using QR codes for payments that never reached the city. They were unsure where the tickets were placed or who the victims were. A suspect was arrested for placing tickets in Santa Cruz in 2022.
All things considered, we know technology is evolving rapidly, and scams are becoming more common. When you ever get a parking ticket, keep in mind that it could be real or fake. Websites such as Alameda County’s “Pay Your Ticket” can help you determine whether a parking ticket is real or fake. Watch out for parking tickets and obey the traffic rules while on the streets.
