The San Marcos Police Department is warning residents of a person in a high-visibility vest pretending to be a city employee and placing parking boots on vehicles then demanding immediate payment at Rio Vista Park and, potentially, other parts of town.
“The scammer demands immediate payment using tap-to-pay on a cell phone and threatens to tow your car if you do not pay,” an SMPD Facebook post stated. “This is a scam. City parking enforcement does not request or accept immediate payment in the field.”
Russell Wilde, an official with the city of San Marcos, said the only time parking staff would immobilize a car would be using a Barnacle and would be if a person had three or more unpaid parking tickets and had received a warning via a sticker placed on the driver’s side window.
According to the city’s website, a Barnacle is “a windshield-mounted immobilization device that attaches with strong suction and prevents the driver from operating the vehicle.” City of San Marcos Parking enforcement officials are required to carry a city ID and work out of vehicles that are marked San Marcos Marshal Parking, according to the post.
If one’s car has been booted by someone demanding payment on the spot, call SMPD immediately at 512-753-2108. SMPD recommends those that have already paid the scammer, file a police report.
