Driver charged £170 in fake parking code scam

A driver was fraudulently charged £170 after falling for a scam at a seafront car park.

Fraudsters targeted a parking area at Whitburn Road, Sunderland, by placing QR codes on payment machines.

When people scanned the codes to pay they were taken to a fake website which allowed the criminals to take money from their bank accounts.

Councillor Lindsey Leonard said the QR codes have now been removed but she wanted to "raise awareness among everyone using a ticket machine".

"Scammers are targeting unsuspecting drivers and we don't want anyone else to lose their hard-earned money to these fraudsters," she said.

The council, which is not "ruling out the possibility that other car parks may be targeted", urged people to pay for parking using the official RingGo app.

The victim who had their money stolen was reimbursed by their bank.

Anyone who thinks they have been scammed is advised to contact their bank or card provider and report it to police.

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