Drivers warned of dangerous Clean Air Zone scam text demanding money
Scammers are sending fake texts to drivers asking for money from the Clean Air Zone.
PA.
With the success of the Ultra Low Emission Zone in London, cities around the country have followed suit by implementing Clean Air Zones.
Major cities including Birmingham, Bristol, Newcastle and Bath have all introduced Clean Air Zones over the last few years.
The zones have been set up to help areas slash their emissions rates by charging the most polluting vehicles to drive in the zone every day.
However, drivers are now being warned that they could face hefty charges as a result of scam artists preying on unsuspecting motorists.
A number of Clean Air Zones are already in place around the country.
PA.
Opportunists are sending text messages to drivers in cities where Clean Air Zones are active, urging them to click on links and pay their overdue CAZ charges.
In most cases, drivers of private vehicles are not required to pay any charges, with only larger vehicles like HGVs, vans and buses needing to pay the charge.
This has been seen most recently in Newcastle where messages were sent out asking people to click on the link and pay a £3 charge.
In some instances, drivers are then asked to pay a £120 fine for not paying the correct fee, despite not having any need to pay anything at all.
Newcastle City Council have called on people to familiarise themselves with the charges and what they may be liable to pay if they drive inside the charging area.
A spokesperson for the council said: "If you receive this text message please do not click the link.
"We would never send notification of a CAZ charge to anyone by text message."
The Clean Air Zone covering Tyneside (Newcastle and Gateshead) was recently launched in January, with non-compliant taxis, buses, coaches and HGVs facing a daily charge.
Further new rules were unveiled in mid-July when charges for non-compliant vans and light goods vehicles were introduced, with the higher polluting vehicles facing charges of £12.50.
There are plans for further Clean Air Zones to be rolled out in the coming years, most notably across Greater Manchester, despite being mired by protests and bureaucratic issues.
A number of Scottish cities will also see their Low Emission Zones begin charging non-compliant vehicles after launching with a grace period earlier this year.
Aberdeen, Dundee, and Edinburgh will enforce charges from May and June next year, while Glasgow began charging vehicles in June.
LATEST DEVELOPMENTS:
Councils are pushing ahead with the rollout of more Clean Air Zones.
PA.
Penalty charges for not paying the Clean Air Zone charges can be as much as £480 for cars and LGVs and £960 for minibuses, buses, coaches and HGVs.
You may like
