News

Jun 25, 2023

City warning residents of fraudulent parking meters

by: Sandy Harjo-Livingston Posted: Apr 5, 2023 / 06:56 PM HST

by: Sandy Harjo-Livingston

Posted: Apr 5, 2023 / 06:56 PM HST

Updated: Apr 6, 2023 / 10:12 AM HST

HONOLULU (KHON2) — The City and County of Honolulu Department of Transportation Services has announced that motorists need to watch out for scams.

They want to remind people to use the official City parking meter app for their mobile phones when using street parking in Honolulu.

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According to DTS, there are 1,700 city parking meters that have been configured to accept payment for street parking.

Motorists can easily use the mobile app known as Park Smarter. This new, more modern way of interacting with city parking allows motorists to securely pay for parking.

"There have been reports of fraudulent Park Smarter stickers placed on some meters throughout Waikīkī and Kakaʻako," said DTS.

These fraudulent stickers can be identified by the QR code.

If the QR code scan takes you to a webpage, the sticker you are using is fraudulent.

The QR code scan should either open an app or take users to the iOS App Store or Google Play App Store to download the app.

If the QR code scan does not launch an app or prompt you to download an app, the sticker you are using is fraudulent.

DTS said that when you use the official Park Smarter app, you will automatically be able to locate meters near your location. It is from this point that you can select which unique parking meter you need to pay.

Officials said that the parking meters that have been identified as having fraudulent information are in the process of being removed and replaced with official information.

"Park Smarter accepts credit and debit card payments through the official app only and will not accept payments on a web browser such as Safari, Google Chrome or Microsoft Edge. The app is available for free download on both iOS and Android," said Officials.

Officials said that meters do accept payment through the Park Smarter app which will be on the meter.

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Those who do not use smartphones can continue to pay for parking with coins or credit cards. Park Smart meters can be found in Honolulu from Chinatown to Waikīkī.

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