- Motorists warned over parking text scams
- Messages warn of ‘additional costs’ if you don’t pay up
- Looks official, but not legit
- What you should do if you receive one
(Adobe stock)
Motorists are being urged to think twice before tapping on parking payment texts as fraudsters posing as legitimate companies are aiming to con them out of their cash.
The scam, which has seen a resurgence in recent weeks, involves drivers receiving an official-looking text message claiming a recent parking charge “has not yet been successfully cleared” and warning of “additional costs” if they don’t pay up fast.
Victims are directed to a bogus website dressed up to look official, where they're asked to enter their vehicle registration and card details.
(Adobe stock)
From there, crooks can empty bank accounts or harvest personal data for further fraud.
One telltale sign is a bizarre instruction to reply “Y”, then close and reopen the message to “activate” the link.
This is a trick designed to bypass the anti-phishing protections built into iPhones and other handsets. Genuine companies will never ask you to do this.
The web address is another giveaway, which on closer inspection looks nothing like the firm's real website. Bone fide parking firms will also never ask for passwords, PINs or payment details by text.
(Adobe stock)
The con is the latest wave of parking scams sweeping the country, from fake QR code stickers slapped on ticket machines to bogus penalty charge notices.
It comes as fraud in the UK hits epidemic levels. Criminals stole more than £1.2billion from Brits last year, according to UK Finance, with around eight people every minute falling victim.
Graham Conway, managing director of award-winning leasing broker Select Car Leasing, claims the latest scam is deliberately designed to make drivers panic.
He said: “These messages prey on that jolt of fear you get when you think you’ve forgotten to pay for parking. The language is urgent and official-sounding, and it pushes you to act before you’ve had time to think. That’s exactly what the scammers want.
(Adobe stock)
“Our advice is simple - never click a link in an unexpected parking text.
“If you’re worried you genuinely owe money, go directly to the app or type the official website into your browser. A real parking operator will never threaten you into paying within minutes.”
He added: “It’s also worth looking out for odd instructions, like being told to reply ‘Y’ or to copy the link into a browser. No legitimate company on earth asks you to do that so it’s the clearest red flag there is.”
Anyone who receives a suspicious text should forward it free of charge to 7726, which alerts mobile networks to the scam.
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