Residents Beware: City Alerts Community to Parking Scam Threat

Published on December 23, 2024

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (Dec. 23, 2024) – The City of Charlotte is warning residents about a fraudulent scheme related to the city’s on-street parking initiative, Park It. This scheme involves misleading text messages that purport to be from the city, informing individuals of an unpaid parking ticket and soliciting payment through a link. Such messages are not from the City of Charlotte and should be ignored.

The Park It initiative employs only two official methods to inform residents about parking violation fees: 

1. A physical ticket affixed to the windshield of the offending vehicle.
2. A letter sent via the United States Postal Service (USPS).

   a. This letter is dispatched if the ticket placed on the windshield remains unsettled after 15 days. 

The City of Charlotte will never send payment links through text messages or solicit payments through unofficial means.

Residents who have concerns about possible parking violations can check any unpaid citations via the city’s official Park It web portal. By inputting a license plate number, users can review all citations, view related images, and either challenge or settle charges directly through the secure online system.

If residents have questions or issues, they are encouraged to reach out to the City of Charlotte’s Park It program customer service line at 704-432-7275 (PARK) or visit the Park It webpage.