HDB letter with QR code for motorists to scan, pay parking fees - is it a scam?

You can't blame people for being too careful nowadays.

Too often, you read in the news — including Stomp — about someone losing thousands of dollars to scammers after scanning a QR code.

So it is not surprising that people are now treating with suspicion anything that asks you to scan that all-too ubiquitous dotted black square.

Stomp contributor Mike shared a copy of a letter from the Housing & Development Board (HDB) with three QR codes that said: "We note that your vehicle was parked in HDB car parks and we have not received the payment for the parking fees incurred. Please scan the e-Payment QR code on the right to view the list of transactions with outstanding parking fees."

The sum owed was 56 cents.

The Stomp contributor warned: "New scam. Please take note. Don't anyhow scan QR codes."

Which is sound advice, but is the letter really a scam?

Late Monday night (Sept 11), HDB addressed the question on its Facebook page: "We are aware of a post on social media which claimed that a letter informing a driver of unpaid parking charges, is a scam.

"This letter was sent to motorists who had driven out of a barrier-free Parking@HDB carpark before the system could deduct their parking fees from the cash card. The letter would reflect the motorist’s name, address and vehicle number.

"Motorists who received this letter can scan the QR code to reach our HDB Parking Fees Payment e-Service. This is where they can check and verify any unpaid parking fees that they may have accumulated. They will then be guided to pay their outstanding parking charges.

"Alternatively, they can also do the same via our e-Service, which goes through the go.gov.sg link, at services2.hdb.gov.sg/webapp/BL22AWNonPymtSvcWeb/BL22UPTransTermsPage.jsp"

Similarly, in May, insurance company AIA posted on Facebook that a flyer asking people to scan a QR code to redeem a free blood pressure measuring device was not a scam.

ALSO READ: Phishing scam: Posters with fake QR code put up at HDB blocks in Bukit Batok

This article was first published in Stomp. Permission required for reproduction.