QR Code Generator has warned motorists to be particularly careful in car parks after growing reports of a scam.
With more car parks letting drivers pay via their smartphone, drivers need to make sure they are sending their money to the right organisation.
Marc Porcar, CEO of QR Code Generator, highlighted that over a third of Brits have fallen victim to scams, meaning drivers should stay mindful.
He explained: “According to National Trading Standards, around 73 percent of UK adults have to be targeted by scams, and 35 percent of people have fallen victim to the offence. With scams becoming ever more convincing, even the most technologically savvy among us remain at risk.
“QR code phishing scams are the most recent trend we are seeing among car parks across the UK. Drivers must remain aware of this type of scam and the techniques scammers are likely to employ.”
According to reports from victims, the scammers target car parks by sticking a fake QR code over the pre-existing ones on signposts and parking machines.
When unsuspecting motorists scan the code to pay for their parking, they get through to a counterfeit website where they input their card details, giving money to scammers.
Whilst this means that the criminal organisation is able to charge extortionate amounts with the details provided, drivers may also receive a penalty charge notice (PCN) as they have not paid the company.
To prevent motorists from being scammed when parking their car, Marc recommended that drivers carefully look for signs that QR codes are not genuine.
He advised: “Before scanning a QR code on a parking meter, it is essential to check that it has not been tampered with in any way.
“Look for peeling edges, unusual bumps in the material, and anything else that generally looks suspicious. If the corners of the code are peeling and you can see another code underneath, this can indicate that a fake code has been stuck over the original one.”
Marc also suggested that drivers carefully check the website that the QR code leads to, particularly looking out for any grammatical errors or unusual wording.
He added: “When you scan a QR code, your phone allows you to preview the website’s link before you click to visit the site. Use your judgement to assess the website URL and whether it matches up with the parking company’s actual website.
“Some scammers will set up a copycat website using a domain name that looks similar but is slightly different from the real thing. For example, the imposter URL could be ‘https://www.justpark.net’ while the genuine website is ‘https://www.justpark.com’.”
