QR Scams Prompt Caution from Drivers

A series of fake QR codes being left on payment machines across the UK has prompted concerns about mass scams among drivers and motoring communities.

Paying for parking is considered to be a necessary evil in the world of driving, with many people being reluctant to pay the charges, but the next time you see a QR code that looks like it might make for an easy transaction, don’t scan it. The number of people are reporting QR code scams where they scan the code with their phones and money is taken and it doesn’t pay for the parking charge, which is leading them to get into more trouble later on.

A Sophisticated Scam

The codes that people are scanning leads them to provide their bank details to fraudsters who will then take all their money from their bank accounts. It’s a very sophisticated scam, with the website being configured to look like an official parking system.

Simon Williams is the RAC Head of Policy, and had this to offer:

“A car park is one of the last places where you’d expect to be caught out by online fraud. Unfortunately, the increasing popularity and ease of using QR codes appears to have made drivers more vulnerable to malicious scammers. For some, this sadly means a Quick Response code could in fact be a ‘quick route’ to losing money.

As if this “quishing” scam isn’t nasty enough, it can also lead to drivers being caught out twice if they don’t realise they haven’t paid for parking and end up getting a hefty fine from the council.

The safest course of action when paying for parking at a council-owned car park is to avoid using QR codes altogether. Most of these councils don’t even operate a QR code payment system, so if you’re in any doubt, steer well clear and only pay with cash, card or via an official app downloaded from your smartphone’s app store. This advice should also be applied to any mode of transport where you can pay via a QR code, including electric vehicle charge points and private car parks.

This new wave of criminal activity is case in point for why the UK is in dire need of the National Parking Platform, which will allow everyone to use one app of their choice to pay for parking. As people are faced with a plethora of different payment apps depending on where they are in the country, it’s no wonder many resort to the convenience of using the QR codes they see on payment machines.”

Staying Safe

The RAC has reminded drivers there are several things they can do to protect themselves from the risk of scams. Be careful of any stickers which don’t look official, make sure the website being loaded corresponds with the company they are trying to pay money to, and always be wary of poorly designed websites that might look false.

However, the best advice that the RAC can give remains consistent and has done for the last few years. Where possible, pay parking charges with cash. It is much safer, and the risk of fraud is reduced almost down to zero.