CA Teen Creates Fake Parking Ticket Scam and Collects the $!

Damien Vela, 19, of Santa Cruz, California, constructed a sophisticated parking ticket scam that fooled a lot of locals until last week, when the police caught on and arrested him.

The teenager meticulously created fake parking citations, complete with a QR code that led users to a website where customers could settle their charges. Damien's well-thought-out strategy called for targeting parked cars close to commercial establishments and residential areas, where parking fines are far more likely to be enforced.

Damien traveled roughly 17 miles outside of his hometown of Watsonville to carry out his scam in nearby Santa Cruz in order to avoid being immediately suspected.

Shortly after Damien's arrest, the Santa Cruz Police Department tweeted a warning to residents about the teenagers scam and the commotion he caused around town.

"If you’ve received a parking ticket recently, check the fine print," the Santa Cruz PD wrote. "Santa Cruz Police arrested a suspect for recently issuing fraudulent parking tickets in the city."

Police are not sure how many residents actually fell for his fake parking ticket scam.


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