Warning over QR codes parking scam

Drivers are being warned to be vigilant after fake QR codes appeared on parking signs in Warwick and Kenilworth.

Warwickshire District Council said the codes, which directed people to a fraudulent website to take a payment, appeared on RingGo parking signs on Thursday.

The local authority said it did not use QR codes for car park payments and that the website had been reported.

Parking app provider RingGo said: "Please remember that RingGo does not use QR codes on any signs that we issue to help drivers pay for parking - QR codes are a common tool for scams and fraud."

The district council added that it acted quickly to remove the fake stickers and added that it had alerted community wardens and CCTV teams.

"If you suspect you have found a scam QR code on a local pay-and-display machine, please register it to the council operating in the area so it can be flagged with the local authorities and removed," RingGo said.

Residents in Warwick and Kenilworth took to social media to suggest the council no longer use parking apps and return to cash parking machines.

The local authority said it recognised "not everyone preferred mobile apps" to pay for their parking and said it continued to operate ticket machines in all of its off-street car parks.

It added that all QR codes used on signage in the towns, including codes for people to report anti-social behaviour, would be replaced to "reduce the risk of confusion in the future".

Similar scams have been spotted across the country, including in Coventry.

Fraudulent codes have also appeared on parcels, in emails and on television.

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