NYC parking scam: Officials warn of fraudulent QR codes attached to meters; what to know

Law enforcement officials are warning of a new danger facing drivers trying to park in New York City.

The Manhattan District Attorney's Office has announced the arrest of a Brooklyn man who they charged for allegedly placing dozens of fraudulent QR code stickers on Manhattan parking meters.

Officials said an investigation found at least 64 of the bogus stickers on meters. Drivers who scanned them were led to a fraudulent website not affiliated with PARKNYC, which is the official mobile app and platform used by the city, the officials said.

The fraudulent site was used to gather financial information, including credit card numbers, according to city officials.

City meters do not ask drivers to scan a QR code when parking.

In a joint statement Wednesday, Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg and city Department of Investigation Commissioner Nadia Shihata announced the indictment and arrest of Mihai Theodor Enescu, 39, of Brooklyn, who was charged with five counts of second-degree identity theft, a felony charge, and six counts of second-degree criminal impersonation, a misdemeanor.

Court records show Enescu was arraigned Wednesday in New York State Supreme Court. He pleaded not guilty to all charges and was released with nonmonetary conditions. He is due back in court Dec. 15.

Authorities said they were first alerted to the alleged scheme when a driver scanned one of the fake QR code stickers on a parking meter on East 10th Street in June 2025. That sticker read: "Web Pay. Scan to Pay."

Officials said the code led the driver to a website that "prominently" displayed the official PARKNYC logo and featured fields "asking the user to enter their credit card number, expiration date, phone number, billing address, and license plate number."

The person tried to enter the information several times, but encountered a "buffer," authorities said.

That driver then noticed the QR code was a sticker placed on top of the official PARKNYC sticker on the meter and reported the situation.

The subsequent investigation determined Enescu was tied to the website account, officials said Wednesday.

Reached for comment Thursday, Enescu's Staten Island-based attorney, Darrell Andrew Marshall, said: "It's a little premature. I've just received discovery — and need to review everything."

In a statement, Bragg said: "New Yorkers should not have to worry that paying to park their car could end in identity theft. This defendant allegedly went to extreme lengths in his attempts to steal personal information from New Yorkers ... ."

Officials are asking anyone who believes they've been a victim of a similar scam in Manhattan to report it to the district attorney's office at 212-335-8900.

By John Valenti

john.valenti@newsday.com

John Valenti, a Newsday reporter since 1981, has been honored nationally by the Associated Press, Society of the Silurians and National Headliner Awards for investigative, enterprise and breaking news reporting, as well as column writing. He is the author of “Swee'pea,” about New York playground basketball star Lloyd Daniels. His debut crime novel, “For Nothing Is Hidden,” rooted in 1950s Long Island, was released in October 2025.