SCAM OF THE MONTH - PARKING FRAUD

CALLING ALL BEAT COPS - BE ON THE LOOKOUT FOR PHONY METER MAIDS

Sometimes you have to admire the sheer ingenuity of certain fraudsters. The latest scam to hit several American cities is "parking fraud."

The citation that suddenly appears under the windshield wiper looks pretty real and, because there doesn't appear to have been a violation, is infuriating. But there appears to be an easy solution. The citation explains that fines can be paid and protests can be made on line, and directs the angry recipient to a web site that looks pretty real. Of course, in order to log in, you have to provide certain information. And there's the catch.

But this one is a double-edged sword. Unlike most one-line frauds, in order to get the victim to log on, someone has to put one of the phony parking tickets on a windshield. Although the scam has not yet spread across the country, local police need to be on the watch for anyone issuing the these citations. After all, the person paid to hand them out is the best root back to the scammer making the money.