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Fake QR codes on Manhattan parking meters lead to identity theft charges
By
Charles Lane
Published Sep 30, 2026
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Courtesy Manhattan District Attorney’s Office
By
Charles Lane
Published Sep 30, 2026
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A 39-year-old man pleaded not guilty Wednesday to using QR code stickers to get credit card information from people trying to park in Manhattan, according to prosecutors and court records.
Mihai Theodor Enescu was arraigned in Manhattan Supreme Court on five counts of second-degree identity theft and six counts of second-degree criminal impersonation, court records show. Prosecutors allege he was behind the phony city payment website linked from the QR code stickers, which asked users for credit card information.
Enescu's lawyer did not comment.
Investigators found 64 of the stickers on meters across Manhattan, officials said.
“I want to remind everyone that the city does not ask you to scan a QR code when parking,” Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg said in a statement.
The scheme came to light in June 2025, when a driver scanned a sticker reading “Web Pay. Scan to Pay” on a meter on East 10th Street, according to prosecutors. The code led to a website showing the official ParkNYC logo. It asked for a credit card number, expiration date, phone number, billing address and license plate number.
The driver tried several times to enter the information, but the page kept buffering, prosecutors said. He then noticed the QR code was a sticker placed over the meter’s official ParkNYC sticker. He alerted his banks before he lost any money.
The city Department of Transportation then inspected parking meters throughout Manhattan and removed the 64 fake codes, city Department of Investigation Commissioner Nadia Shihata said.
“This defendant allegedly used the City’s Manhattan parking meters to scam unsuspecting motorists out of their financial information,” Shihata said in a statement.
Shihata said her investigators used cyber investigative and digital forensic techniques to uncover the scheme. They eventually linked Enescu to the website’s account, according to prosecutors. Prosecutors also said he bought two packs of 4-by-6-inch shipping labels that could be used to make the stickers.
That June, DOT warned drivers about the scam after a Reddit user visiting New York said he had entered his credit card information on a fake site, Gothamist reported at the time. Prosecutors did not say how many people entered their information or whether any money was stolen.
The investigation is ongoing, officials said. Drivers can pay at the meter or through ParkNYC’s official app, website or phone system, according to the city.
Tagged
manhattan
public safety
Charles Lane
Charles is a Day-of reporter focused on breaking news and enterprise. He’s very friendly and can be reached at [email protected], or more securely on whatsapp/signal 631-295-6715
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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