A scam involving victim’s receiving communications about parking fines is making the rounds and EPD wants to make sure you don’t fall for it.
The scam is a form of ‘phishing’ where an email is sent from a “police department” alerting the potential victim they have a parking fine to pay, with a fine number, link to the parking ticket, and then directions on how to pay via an online link or by phone (with phone number provided) using a credit card. This is a scam.
Notification of a parking ticket within the City of Eugene is initiated by the placement of the actual ticket on the vehicle at the time of the infraction followed by a letter to the registered owner of the vehicle if the ticket is not paid in 30 days. If you are concerned, all outstanding parking tickets can be looked up by license plate number via this linkhttps://www.municipalonlinepayments.com/eugeneor or by calling 541-682-5400.
Many scams are perpetuated by emails and phone calls. If someone calls or emails you, asking for your cash, credit card numbers, security log-ins, or other personal information, the safest move is to refuse their request and independently look up the involved business or agency and call them to double check the situation. Beware of high pressure techniques, such as the need to give information or make a decision on the spot.