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Drivers warned of fake parking fines scam in town

Stephen Pond/PA Wire Parking sign with blue square and white P in the middle leans to the left in front of a window with a black sill and a cracked white wall. The shadow of the sign shows underneath it. Stephen Pond/PA Wire
The council warned that the messages were not really from the DVSA

Drivers in Oldham are being warned of a text message and email-based scam which falsely claims people owe money for parking fines.

The council said the messages purported to be from the Driver Vehicle and Standards Agency (DVSA), warning of a Penalty Charge Notice(PCN).

People have been sharing screenshots of the texts on social media, suspicious that they were bogus messages.

The local authority urged people to "stay cautious" and not to click on to any links.

Phoney website

An Oldham Borough Council spokesman said: "These messages appear authentic, using a copy of the council’s payment page and the GOV logo, but the ‘pay now’ button links to a scam website.

"Always verify PCN notices directly through the official council website."

The DVSA has confirmed that the message was fraudulent.

"DVSA does not issue or deal with parking fines," the agency said.

The text says that drivers "have a parking penalty charge" and reads: "If you do not pay your fine on time... your car may be banned from driving, you might have to pay more, or you could be taken to court."

It asks recipients to follow a link and enter their licence plate number and payment details.

But the link leads to a phoney website which could extort money and personal information from the drivers.

The DVSA has asked those who receive a scam text message to report it to the National Cyber Security Centre.

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