Beware of this parking ticket scam in Alhambra, police say

Police are warning Alhambra residents that scammers have sent out fake parking tickets to fleece them out of $53.

Five residents reported to police on July 30 that they received tickets overnight for street sweeping violations, police Sgt. Michael Montano said.

The residents questioned the validity of the tickets because street sweeping doesn’t normally occur during nighttime hours in residential areas, he added.

The fake ticket instructs the recipient to scan a QR that sends them to a fraudulent website where they are required to pay a $53 fine, police said. None of the residents who reported the scam to police have scanned the QR code and paid the fine.

Any citation issued by the city does not include a QR code, Montano said.

The fake tickets were sent mainly to the southeast portion of the city and were issued overnight on July 29 or in the early morning hours of July 30.

Police are not aware of whether the scam is happening in other cities.

Investigators asked anyone who has received the fake ticket or has information that will lead to the people responsible for the scam to call the Alhambra Police Traffic Section at626-570-5119.