Following a recent surge in parking scams, law enforcement agencies and local councils nationwide are issuing renewed warnings to the public.
Fraudsters are employing increasingly sophisticated methods, ranging from deceptive text messages regarding unpaid parking tickets to the manipulation of car park payment machines to surreptitiously steal card details.
Fortunately, there are simple precautions you can take to safeguard yourself from these common fraudulent schemes.
Legitimate parking violation notices invariably contain specific identifying information.
Authentic parking citations will include the vehicle registration number, the time of the alleged infraction, and the location where it occurred.
A notice lacking these three key elements should be regarded as a potential scam.
Official fines are always delivered in written form, either affixed to the vehicle’s windshield, handed directly to the vehicle operator, or received via postal mail.
It is important to differentiate between various types of penalties: a penalty charge notice issued by a local authority, a fixed penalty notice issued by law enforcement (typically for offenses like speeding), and a parking charge notice issued by a private parking company.
Parking charge notices are technically considered invoices for violating parking regulations, rather than legal fines. While payment is not always mandatory, careful consideration is advised before declining to pay.
Exercise caution when receiving unsolicited text messages claiming outstanding balances for unpaid parking tickets. A prevalent scam involves sending fraudulent texts or emails demanding immediate payment for a supposed fine.
These messages commonly include a link to a payment portal and employ urgent, threatening language to induce panic.
Some fraudulent texts may falsely threaten license revocation for non-payment. It’s important to note that “that’s not how it works, you won’t lose your license.”
The links embedded in these scam texts often redirect users to websites designed to mimic official government portals.
Clicking on any suspicious link poses a significant risk.
However, individuals protected by current antivirus software and a VPN can investigate potentially cloned sites by verifying the functionality of other links on the website.
If uncertainty persists, the safest course of action is to refrain from clicking any links and exit the website immediately.
If you have inadvertently clicked on a dubious link, take the following steps:
Consider installing antivirus software and running a system scan to detect any potential malware infections.
A recent scam trend, as reported by the UK’s national fraud reporting centre, Action Fraud, involves targeting individuals using payment machines in parking facilities.
Perpetrators attach skimming devices to contactless payment readers on parking machines. When a user attempts to pay, the machine displays a “card declined” message.
While the user seeks an alternative payment method, the skimming device captures their card information.
Here are measures to assess whether a machine has been compromised:
Contactless readers should appear to be integrated components of the machine. Devices that seem bolted on or mismatched warrant caution. Always trust your intuition.
If you suspect any irregularities, consider paying with cash or using a parking application instead.
Watch Morning Live for comprehensive guidance on protecting yourself from these scams.
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