City of Austin warns of fake ‘Park ATX’ website

City warns of fake 'Park ATX' website

Be careful when you pay to park in Austin. The City says there's a fake ‘Park ATX’ website at the top of Google search results that's asking for people's credit card information.

AUSTIN, Texas - Be careful when you pay to park in Austin. The City says there's a fake ‘Park ATX’ website at the top of Google search results that's asking for people's credit card information.

In the past 24 hours, the City of Austin has received at least three reports from users who said the website asked them to enter their information, but wouldn't allow them to initiate a parking session.

Austin Transportation and Public Works Department staff investigated, and that's when it learned that the sponsored website that appears above the City's when you search "Park ATX" on a mobile browser is a fake.

The City says it's made the Park ATX vendor, Passport, aware of the issue and reported it to Google but, as of 9:30 a.m. Friday, January 5, the sponsored website was still there.

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Image shows how the fraudulent Park ATX website appears when you click on it. The web address appears as am5.com. (City of Austin)

The City is encouraging users to search for the Park ATX app via the Google Play and Apple App Stores, not via a web browser.

Links to download the official Park ATX app on iOS and Android are available at the City's website.

The app allows users to pay, extend and manage their on-street parking sessions using their mobile device.

Austin Crime and Public Safety