US cities are currently facing a widespread mobile phishing campaign where scammers send texts pretending to be from city parking violation departments, claiming there are unpaid parking invoices that will incur a $35 daily fine if not paid. This scam has prompted warnings from cities across the US, including Annapolis, Boston, Greenwich, Denver, Detroit, Houston, Charlotte, San Diego, San Francisco, and many others. The texts, which began circulating December 2024, have been targeting residents with messages that include a link to a fake payment site. A notable tactic in these scams is the use of an open redirect via google[.]com to lead victims to phishing websites named after the cities they claim to represent, such as nycparkclient[.]com for New York City. This method exploits the trust associated with Google’s domain, as Apple’s iMessage does not disable links from known domains, making it easier to deceive users into clicking. Once users follow the link, they are taken to a site posing as the “NYC Department of Finance: Parking and Camera Violations,” where they are asked to enter their name and zip code. Regardless of the input, users are informed of an outstanding parking invoice and prompted to settle the balance, which varies but is typically low to avoid suspicion. A key indicator of the scam is the incorrect placement of the dollar sign after the amount, suggesting the scam originates from outside the US. On proceeding, victims are led to a page where their personal details, including name, address, phone number, email, and credit card information, are requested. This data can then be used for identity theft, financial fraud, or sold to other malicious actors. To protect themselves, CTIX analysts recommend individuals report and block numbers from unknown sources, especially those requesting immediate action or providing links to unfamiliar sites.