Brussels police swooped in on a man accused of affixing fake QR codes to parking meters in a brazen attempt to defraud drivers.
The suspect was apprehended on Saturday night (20 September) in the city centre after a plainclothes patrol spotted him applying a sticker to a machine.
A short time later, officers clocked him doing the same trick at another meter, this time whizzing up on an electric scooter.
When they moved in, police found 160 more bogus stickers stuffed in his pocket. Each one carried a QR code and the message "Scan to pay".
A raid on his flat later uncovered five printers and a stash of blank adhesive sheets used to churn out the dodgy labels.
The QR codes sent unsuspecting drivers to a fake website designed to nick personal details and banking info under the guise of paying for parking.
The man, who police say was living in Belgium illegally and had no previous record, was hauled before the prosecutor's office. He’s now been charged with fraud and remains detained.
Detectives are also probing whether he’s tied to a string of similar scams reported in recent months.
