Motorists across the UK are being urged to exercise caution amid a rising trend of counterfeit QR codes in car parks.
Cunning fraudsters have been deploying fake QR codes to steal sensitive data, such as banking details. Dubbed ‘quishing’, this con has cropped up in several key locations, including Pembrokeshire, Northumberland, and South Tyneside.
The RAC has relayed its knowledge of car parks beset with these fraudulent codes, cautioning that it could result in substantial financial losses for drivers. There’s also a risk of fines from local councils, who may believe parking fees have gone unpaid when, in reality, victims have been conned into thinking they’ve settled the charges.
RAC head of policy Simon Williams said: “A car park is one of the last places where you’d expect to be caught out by online fraud. Unfortunately, the increasing popularity and ease of using QR codes appears to have made drivers more vulnerable to malicious scammers.
“For some, this sadly means a quick response (QR) code could in fact be a quick route to losing money. As if this quishing scam isn’t nasty enough, it can also lead to drivers being caught out twice if they don’t realise they haven’t paid for parking and end up getting a hefty fine from the council.”
He added: “Most of these councils don’t even operate a QR code payment system, so if you’re in any doubt, steer well clear and only pay with cash, card or via an official app downloaded from your smartphone’s app store. This advice should also be applied to any mode of transport where you can pay via a QR code, including electric vehicle charge points and private car parks.”
The RAC used the scams as an example to implement a National Parking Platform to allow people all across the country to pay for their parking with a singular app, thus avoiding confusion and lowering the odds of victims falling for this type of scam.
“As people are faced with a plethora of different payment apps depending on where they are in the country, it’s no wonder many resort to the convenience of using the QR codes they see on payment machines,” said Williams.
“Our research with drivers shows that many still prefer to pay with cash. Unfortunately, this option – along with payment machines – are being phased out by lots of councils, which a majority of drivers think is a bad idea.
“We believe there should always be at least two different means of paying for parking in the event technology fails or the car park is located somewhere with intermittent phone signal.”
