CARMEL – Residents across Putnam County have been receiving deceptive text messages in recent days falsely claiming they have unpaid New York City parking tickets that require immediate payment.
One of those was received by Putnam Assemblyman Matt Slater’s mother. Slater described the NYC City-Pay Unpaid Parking Invoice text as a scam.
Slater said the messages were “designed to incite urgency and fear by luring unsuspecting individuals into sharing personal information and credit card details with cyber-criminals.”
Slater cautioned residents to take the appropriate steps necessary to avoid the scam. “If you have received the suspicious message or believe you have been targeted report the incident to the New York City Department of Consumer Affairs and the NYPD’s cyber-crime unit. Prompt reporting can help authorities take swift action and potentially prevent others from falling victim to the scam.”
Slater reminded Putnam residents to become informed and remain cautious at all times. He suggested anyone receiving correspondence of an unfamiliar parking citation to “verify before paying. Always check the official NYC parking ticket website or contact the city’s parking authorities to verify any claims of unpaid tickets.
Be Cautious of Urgent Requests: Legitimate institutions typically do not request immediate payments via text messages.
Protect Your Information: Never share personal or financial information in response to unsolicited messages.”
