County hit by fresh wave of fake parking QR codes

Fake QR code stickers have been placed on several parking machines in a Warwickshire town, the third such instance in the county in a matter of months.

The stickers appeared in Arden Street car park, Stratford-upon-Avon, and directed motorists' smartphones to a fake payment portal.

Stratford District Council said it immediately began removing them, and was actively reviewing CCTV to try and identify who put them there.

RingGo, which operates the council's car parks, said the only way to pay in one of its car parks was via its app, and motorists should never enter their card details outside the app.

The company encouraged motorists to report suspicious QR codes on the machines to their local council.

"Anyone visiting our car parks should not be using any QR codes (for parking) at all," added Craig Bourne from the local authority.

"It's an increasing problem."

He added that the stickers could also be an issue for tourists visiting the town.

"A lot of the car parks are used by visitors, increasingly so in the summer months, a lot of foreign visitors as well that will see a QR code and think it's an easy option."

"We are actively exploring options in terms of looking to update some of the signage that we've got in some of the car parks.

"We're on top of things, we're also making sure our social media and website is updated with information."

This is not the first time the area has been hit with bogus QR codes.

Last week, Warwickshire County Council issued a warning after fake codes were seen in Leamington and Warwick.

In April, they were spotted in Warwick and Kenilworth.

A similar scam involving fake parking tickets was uncovered in Coventry in November.

What should you do if you are scammed?

• As soon as you realise the QR code or text message you've received is a scam, avoid any further inputting of your data or clicking on suspicious links.
• If you've made a payment or unwittingly signed up to a subscription via a QR code or app, contact your bank immediately to report and check if you qualify for a refund.
• Report it to the local authority or parking operator
• Check council or parking operator websites for official parking rules and updates on parking scams to look out for

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