Is There A Parking Scam Going On In Downtown Grand Rapids?

Parking downtown can be frustrating enough on it's own. And if you feel like it's an exaggeration, try driving down Fulton or Leonard on a Saturday night when multiple events are going on downtown. Then add parking to that mess? Or possibly paying for a garage spot if you can find one? It's enough to make you want to stay home entirely.

But now there is a new scam happening to people who are parking in downtown Grand Rapids that could cost them a lot of money they don't have to pay.

An Anonymous member of the facebook group Grand Rapids Informed said that recently they parked at the air park lot on Fulton, only to find this warning on their windshield.

Have you guys ever seen something like this before? We got this on our car a couple weekends ago while parked in one of those 'Air Park' lots. We paid to park, and our time was not expired when we got back to the car. Thought it was super shady and the website looks super sketchy too....just be careful folks. We certainly won't be paying this "fine" lol.

While it's great that this person shared this information with the group, what happens when someone not-local or unaware of the rules falls for this scam? Or what if you forget how much time you have left and think this is legitimate?

According to the city of Grand Rapids website, there are several ways to get a parking ticket. However, the air lots are not run by the city, and therefore more susceptible to scammers trying to take advantage of you.

This is what a parking ticket issued by the city of Grand Rapids SHOULD look like.

If you find yourself facing a fake parking ticket, you should report it to the Grand Rapids Police non-emergency line, as well as making a report on the company listed at the bottom on the BBB website.

Have you ever paid a parking ticket you didn't have to? Or have you seen one of these flyers yourself? Let me know in the comments.