Drivers warned after rise in parking scams in North East – BBC.com

Drivers are being targeted by parking scams that trick people into paying money on bogus websites, officials have warned.

One includes a text message demanding money, while another uses QR codes to direct users to fraudulent pages online.

The scams have been carried out across 10 council areas in the North East, with Durham County Council warning drivers that fines will never be sent by text message.

Gary Miles, head of the National Fraud Intelligence Bureau, said: “Make sure you pay in the safest way by paying at the machine, by phone number or using the official app provided by the parking organisation.”

The text messages are presented as advice and require the recipient to pay a Penalty Charge Notice (PCN) within 28 days or face further fines and prosecution.

Durham County Council said PCNs are sent by post or affixed to car windscreens in yellow envelopes.

Elizabeth Scott, cabinet member for economy and partnerships, said people should not click on the payment link and should delete the message.

QR codes are placed in parking lots and direct users to websites that mimic real legitimate companies like PaybyPhone or RingGo. However, they use a different address, such as “pay-by-phone.com”.

“We would never contact vehicle owners via text message and we only accept payments in our car parks via the payment machine or the official PaybyPhone app or website,” Scott said.

The National Cyber ​​Security Center (NCSC) said QR codes are often missed by security software and people should be careful when scanning them in train stations or car parks.

Support Department Miles said: “If you scan a QR code and it takes you to a website you think doesn’t look good, don’t share any personal or financial information and leave the website immediately.

“You should never pay for parking by bank transfer.”