A Prankster "Rickrolled" Asheville Drivers With Fake Parking Tickets

We’ve seen some pretty creative Rickrolls over the years, but this one might take the cake. According to the Associated Press, a mysterious prankster in Asheville, North Carolina, handed out fake parking tickets in the city’s downtown last week. When people scanned the QR code on the ticket, it sent them to the infamously cheesy music video for the 1987 Rick Astley song, "Never Gonna Give You Up."

Local officials aren’t amused. Last weekend, Asheville expected 20,000 visitors to flood the town for the Southern Conference basketball championship. Parking was tough already—and the fake tickets, which fined drivers $100 instead of the city’s usual $10, created “extra work, caused aggravation for our citizens, and I really think somebody's doing it for a prank," parking services manager Harry Brown told WLOS-TV.

The tickets looked convincing, but were larger than the city’s standard citations. They also included fake officer IDs, a made-up violation code, and, as mentioned before, a QR code for smart phones to scan. (Asheville’s parking tickets don’t have QR codes.) The culprit obviously put time and effort into the prank. But even if he or she is caught, officials say they likely can't charge the rogue Rickroller with anything more than littering.

The city isn’t collecting the fake fines, but at least one person has tried to pay the $100. Did you find a counterfeit ticket on your windshield? Once the indignation from being inconvenienced and Rickrolled wears off, call Asheville Parking Services to report it.

All images courtesy of YouTube.

[h/t Associated Press]