Rugby the latest Warwickshire town to be targeted
Warwickshire Trading Standards Service are warning motorists that bogus QR codes are again being stuck to pay and display machines in the County. After incidents in Stratford, the scam has now appeared in Rugby.
Many councils have now stopped using QR codes on their pay and display machines, as they were being over stickered with bogus codes. However, this has not stopped the scammers who have continued to stick bogus QR codes to the machines.
A QR code is a pattern that can be scanned with a mobile phone, directing the user to a website. The scammers have set up bogus parking payment websites and hope that drivers will scan the QR codes, visit the bogus website and input their card details to buy a ticket. Money and card details are then stolen and motorists also risk having their devices infected with malware.
In the Rugby incident, the scammers had included a PayByPhone logo as part of the bogus QR code, to make the stickers look more genuine.
Warwickshire Trading Standards are advising motorists not to scan any QR codes or bar codes that may appear on Pay and Display machines. Instead, download the genuine parking app (RingGo, PayByPhone, twinpay etc.) in use at the car park from your phones app store and use this, or pay directly by card or cash if those options are available.