DENTON, Texas — University of North Texas students who found what appeared to be parking citations on their cars recently discovered that the notices were actually advertisements for a dating app.
UNT Transit warned students in a social media post in early September about the fake citations and shared side-by-side images comparing them with legitimate parking tickets.
“Fake citations have been appearing on campus vehicles that look like the photo on the left on frame 2,” UNT Transit said. “This is not a citation we issue.”
The fake notices appeared on shiny paper and encouraged recipients to go out on a Friday night. Each notice included a QR code that directed users to a dating app, according to the university’s student newspaper, NT Daily.
UNT Transit advised students who received the advertisements to disregard them.
Students who found the notices on their vehicles described mixed reactions.
One student told NT Daily that the notice felt creepy and said she called her mother after seeing it. She also said she noticed similar notices on several other vehicles around campus.
Another student described the stunt as funny.
UNT’s policy on solicitations, signs and postings prohibits unapproved advertisements, flyers, business cards and other promotional materials on vehicles parked in university lots.
The university said violators can face removal from campus, restrictions on future solicitation and responsibility for property damage. Students and employees also can face disciplinary action, including suspension or termination, depending on the violation.
UNT officials did not immediately provide additional comment.
