Police issue urgent warning to British drivers amid spate of parking scams targeting motorists
Conwy Council urged drivers to be cautious when paying for parking
CONWY COUNCIL
Drivers have been issued an urgent warning to ensure they are safe when paying for parking as scammers are placing fake stickers over QR codes at car parks.
Conway County Borough Council is warning residents of the area and tourists to be careful when paying for parking in popular tourist areas.
Over the weekend, parking operators discovered fraudulent QR codes on parking meters at The Parade, Llandudno and Colwyn Bay Promenade.
The fake codes are placed on the pay-and-display machines and lead drivers to input their payment information on fraudulent websites.
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Experts have called on drivers who are unsure about using links to instead use the app store
PAWhen paying for parking in Conwy and the surrounding areas, drivers are advised to use the official PayByPhone parking app, which is available on the Apple and Google Play stores.
However, over the weekend, the fake QR code stickers led to a "phoney" website that pretends to be the PayByPhone site, with scammers using the sites to steal payment information.
Posting on X, formerly known as Twitter, the council said it did not use QR codes for car park payments, instructing drivers that it only takes payments from cash, card, phone or PayByPhone.
The scam can also lead to drivers being slapped with parking fines as they will not have paid for their actual ticket, therefore parking illegally.
A statement from the council on its website stated that Civil Enforcement Officers would continue to monitor parking machines across the county and remove any fraudulent stickers or notices.
Conway County Borough Council has reported the issue to North Wales Police and PayByPhone who are working in conjunction to have the fake website taken offline.
The statement added: "Anyone who has fallen victim to this kind of scam is advised to contact their bank to stop any further funds being taken."
Once registered with the PayByPhone app, their address and other personal details will be registered and they can quickly pay for parking without having to carry change.
This is not an isolated incident with Hertfordshire Police issuing a statement at the end of July saying that scammers had been targeting drivers with fake QR codes.
It stated that the rogue actors would replace codes at car parks and parking meters, allowing them to steal the personal and banking details of unsuspecting motorists.
Herts Police called on drivers to check the parking meters when they pay to ensure they haven't been tampered with and that it isn't a fake sticker.
The force suggested that drivers could instead avoid scanning the code if they are unsure and use a search engine to pay instead.
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Scammers may be targeting popular areas with locals and tourists
PAThis is a scam known as "quishing" and involves tricking someone into scanning a fake QR code with their phone when trying to pay for parking or other services.
Herts Police reported that this was the "latest trend" to trick people into handing their "hard-earned cash" over to dubious scammers.
It added that if someone is in doubt of the legitimacy of the sticker or code, they should download the official parking app associated with the car park from their respective app stores.
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