Dorset drivers warned to 'be wary' when paying for parking
Fake QR codes for parking payment apps are being stuck on ticket machines that actually direct them to third-party scam sites
Drivers in Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole are continuing to be warned about a fake QR code scam on parking meters.
New stickers have been found in Sandbanks, Branksome Chine, Branksome Dene, Highcliffe and Bournemouth Town Centre car parks.
BCP Council said a number of illegitimate QR codes had been peeled off numerous machines in recent days.
Cllr Mike Cox told us: “Parking attendants regularly visit car parks and check machines for fake QR codes but they can't be everywhere so at the moment, we're advising residents to just to pay via the app or by card until we get rid of these scammers.”
QR codes have become a popular way of making things online quicker and easier with one in six businesses introducing QR codes as a payment method.
But according to experts, the post-pandemic success of QR codes is now being exploited by scammers.
Cllr Mike Cox said: “These people are professionals; they spend their lives diddling vulnerable people out of money and this is just another way they’re doing it.
“I’ve not come across this scam before but it’s a reminder that criminals can be quite ingenious when it comes to taking money out of innocent people’s pockets.”
Cashless parking apps are becoming increasingly popular as fewer car parks accept cash as a payment method. But research suggests more than half (53%) of UK consumers have trouble spotting a malicious QR code.
Cllr Cox added: “We urge people to be wary, not just with these QR codes, we urge people to be wary throughout all walks of life these days.”