Payments

Man indicted in alleged QR code scam at Manhattan parking kiosks

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October 7, 2026

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A Brooklyn man has been indicted on charges that he used fraudulent QR codes to collect personal and financial information from motorists paying for parking in Manhattan, according to a press release from the Manhattan District Attorney's office.

Mihai Theodor Enescu, 39, faces five counts of second degree identity theft and six counts of second degree criminal impersonation, according to the Manhattan district attorney's office. Investigators found 64 stickers directing drivers to a fake website posing as the city's ParkNYC payment platform.

The alleged scheme surfaced in June 2025 when a driver scanned a sticker on an East 10th Street parking meter. The website displayed the ParkNYC logo and requested credit card details, a phone number, a billing address and a license plate number. After the page repeatedly stalled, the driver discovered that the QR code sticker covered official ParkNYC information and alerted his bank before losing money, prosecutors said.

The city's Department of Transportation inspected Manhattan parking meters and removed the fraudulent stickers. Investigators later linked Enescu to the website's account, prosecutors said. Officials reminded motorists that the city does not ask drivers to scan QR codes to pay for parking and encouraged anyone who encountered a similar scam to call 212-335-8900. The investigation remains ongoing.