• News
  • Film and TV
  • Music
  • Tech
  • Features
  • Celebrity
  • Politics
  • Weird
  • Community
  • Advertise
  • Terms
  • Privacy & Cookies
  • LADbible Group
  • LADbible
  • SPORTbible
  • GAMINGbible
  • Tyla
  • UNILAD Tech
  • FOODbible
  • License Our Content
  • About Us & Contact
  • Jobs
  • Latest
  • Topics A-Z
  • Authors
Facebook
Instagram
X
Threads
TikTok
YouTube
Submit Your Content
Experts warn over ‘creative’ parking scam that could take your money in seconds

Home> News> Crime

Published 09:40 20 Nov 2024 GMT

Experts warn over ‘creative’ parking scam that could take your money in seconds

The scam is reportedly 'making millions' after tricking drivers

Lucy Devine

Lucy Devine

Featured Image Credit: @‌BrianRoemmele/Twitter/Getty Stock Image

Topics: News, Crime, Cars

Lucy Devine
Lucy Devine

Advert

Advert

Advert

Experts have issued a warning over a new parking scam that's robbing drivers' money.

With so many scams doing the rounds online, it's becoming increasingly difficult to know what's real and what's not.

But one particular scam is tricking drivers into paying fraudsters for their parking - and it's really easy to get caught out.

One scam is catching out drivers (Getty Stock Image)
One scam is catching out drivers (Getty Stock Image)

Advert

All parking lots are different. While in some, drivers are required to provide a paper ticket which is placed on the dash, others are paid for purely online.

Some car parks ask you to book or pay for your space via an app, while others direct drivers to a website where they can enter their registration and pay the correct fee.

Many parking lots have number plate recognition, which means the driver and vehicle is identified arriving and leaving the area, allowing the company to calculate how much you should be paying.

But one scam has taken people by surprise after fraudsters used a 'creative' trick to direct drivers away from the car park's website and to a fraudulent site instead.

Advert

There are different ways to pay for parking (Getty Stock Image)
There are different ways to pay for parking (Getty Stock Image)

“'You want to park here? Scan this QR code on the parking machine, and pay'," one person wrote on X.

"Millions per month have been made on the QR Code scam."

How does it work?

Well, scammers are covering the correct QR codes with a sticker featuring a different QR code.

Advert

It's difficult to immediately notice, but in a video, the X user could be seen peeling off the sticker to reveal the correct code underneath.

"Got to admire the creativity here," one user commented.

While another said: "Don't fall for it! Those QR codes on parking machines are a scam, and millions have already been lost. I'm wary of scanning anything that doesn't come from a trusted source."

Advert

One person recalled being scammed in the very same way, adding: "They had hacked into my phone, my Google account, bank accounts, Crypto accounts all emptied, etc.

"Loans taken out in my name, 50k in Rolex watches... That was just the start.

"All because I QR’d a menu that had a sticker like that."

How to avoid falling for the scam

Well, numerous social media users have claimed they never scan public QR codes, for this very reason.

Advert

In the UK, the RAC's head of policy, Simon Williams told The Guardian: “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 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.”

Choose your content:

3 hours ago
5 hours ago
6 hours ago
  • 3 hours ago

    Cult classic film removed from Disney+ over controversial scene that had it banned from TV

    The British Board of Film Classification (BBFC) has long expressed its concerns about the scene in the 1989 movie

    Film & TV
  • 5 hours ago

    Vin Diesel hints Paul Walker could be in upcoming Fast and Furious movie and it's left fans very divided

    He's desperate to reunite Dom and Brian

    Film & TV
  • 6 hours ago

    Trump supporters are revealing the ‘red line’ that would make them stop supporting him and people say it’s ‘disturbing’

    President Trump's shocking approval ratings were recently released

    News
  • 6 hours ago

    Starbucks customer outraged after barista allegedly wrote 'illegal' joke on her cup

    "When I read it I’m like, OK. Was I supposed to laugh?"

    News
  • Experts warn that napping between these specific hours could give you a higher risk of death
  • Police warn of terrifying one-step scam that allows a hacker into your phone within seconds
  • Travelers warned about ‘smishing’ scam that could put your personal information at risk
  • Experts issue urgent warning over city-destroying asteroid that could devastate Earth without direct impact