Redondo Beach police warn of scammers placing fake QR codes on parking meters

Authorities have issued a warning after Redondo Beach police say scammers have placed fake QR codes on 150 parking meters in the area. 

Police said the fake QR codes were placed alongside the legitimate QR codes on parking meters along Esplanade and Riviera Village. Officials have since removed all fake QR codes. 

The fraudulent codes redirect individuals to a fake website (poybyphone.online) that is not affiliated to the city or its official parking meter system for payment. An image appears below: 

Police said the city uses two companies for parking fees, including ParkMobile, which directs users to its app for payment, and paybyphone, which is an app that is downloaded on the user's phone and takes payments online. 

Below are images of the legitimate QR codes: 

The incident remains under investigation. Anyone who believes they have been defrauded or has information on who is responsible for this crime was asked to call Redondo Beach police at (310) 379-2477.