This Park Houston Scam Text Could Drain Your Bank Account
Houston residents have become targets of a sinister scam; unpaid parking invoice texts. Fraudsters impersonating Park Houston send legit-looking text messages that claim recipients have an overdue unpaid parking invoice that’d incur late fees if not paid immediately.
The text message which looks believable has caused panic nationwide.
What is the Park Houston Scam?
It is a sophisticated smishing scam that attempt to steal people’s credit card credentials and money. Fraudsters impersonating Houston parking agency ignite panic in vehicle owners by claiming they have an unpaid parking invoice.
”This is a notice from City of Houston. Your vehicle has an unpaid parking invoice of $4.35. To avoid a late fee of 35$, please settle your balance promptly”
In the text, Recipients are directed to click a link to make a payment on a website, but the website isn’t the legit site for Park Houston. It’s a spoofed look-alike that was recently created to fool unsuspecting people; parkinghtx.com, parkinghou.com, houpark.com, e.t.c
On closer inspection, the text has the following red flags;
- It does not contain vital information ( fails to mention the toll booth used, the recipients license plate number and image of the recipient at the parking spot)
- It contains grammatical errors.
- Park Houston do not ask vehicle owners via text to make a payment or take immediate action on their account.
How This Unpaid Parking Invoice Scam Text Works
The scam texts directs recipients to malicious websites that ask for credit card details for the overdue fee. People who provide their credit card info would become a victim of credit card fraud. The scammers would not only deduct the fake outstanding balance but would make huge withdrawals.
Also, mere clicking on the link could expose your mobile device to viruses, spywares, or malware. This is because the website could’ve a malware program running in the background. Malware is software that is installed on a computer without the user’s consent and that performs malicious actions, such as stealing passwords or money. Malware can be installed in a variety of ways, including through email attachments, drive-by downloads, or by clicking on links in malicious websites.
Precaution
Here’s what to do If you received a scam text message;
- Don’t attempt to click on the link no matter how legit it looks. Clicking it would either direct you to a fraudulent website or install malware into your device.
- Block The Sender Number. You can do this by flagging the telephone number as spam.
- Delete The Text Message. Deleting the text message will prevent you from mistakenly replying or clicking on it.
What Victims of This Scam Should Do;
Inform Their Credit Card Company
If you provided your credit card details on this scam site, the first step you should take is calling your credit card company. They need to know that your card details have been compromised so as to closely monitor and prevent any unauthorized charges.
Place a Credit Freeze or Fraud Alert
Fraud alert is sort of like a two-factor authentication process for accessing your credit, whereas a credit freeze blocks anyone from accessing your credit — until you remove it. The credit freeze is the best option for you, if you know you wouldn’t be using the credit card anytime soon.
Scan Their Device with a Malware Checker Tool
There’s a likelihood that your device has been infested by malware or spyware after visiting the spoofed website. Scanning your device with a malware removal tool will detect and remove any viruses, spyware, or other malicious programs.
Did you receive this scam Park Houston text? Please let us know in the comment section!
