Warning to drivers over car park scam that could cost you money – here’s how to avoid being caught out
DRIVERS are being warned about a car park scam which could cost you money - here's how you can avoid being caught out.
Scammers have found a way to exploit cashless car parks as more people pay with their phones.
Pay machines still accepting cash are limited with most nowadays only taking card or making motorists scan a QR code to pay online.
And one scam becoming popular amongst fraudsters is replacing the QR code with a fake one and stealing personal details and money from people.
The square codes became increasingly popular during the pandemic - with most restaurants using them for ordering and the NHS using them for Track and Trace.
Placing their own barcodes on car parking machines, scammers will trick drivers into entering their card details and make a fake payment without realising.
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Many websites across the country have already been reported.
Last week the Isle of Wight council warned of the scam after a motorist had money stolen from her bank account after trying to pay for parking, reports .
Katherine Hart from Trading Standards said the scam was “very much on the increase”.
“It is another way to data harvest or phish for personal details and steal our money," she added.
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“This type of scam often targets the younger generation who are more likely to use their smartphones for payments.”
You can check whether a QR code is fake by picking at the corners and seeing if there is another underneath.
Katherine urged drivers to only scan the code if they were 100 per cent sure it was legit.
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It comes as a House of Lords committee urged the Government to take action against phone companies which allowed their customers to be inundated with scam texts and calls.
The Fraud Act 2006 and Digital Fraud committee yesterday criticised the country's law enforcement - which had failed to investigate and prosecute scammers.