A new QR code scam on charging and parking machines is targeting motorists across Britain.
The scam, which asks people to scan a fake QR code on parking or charging meters , has been spotted inLondon, Portsmouth, Lancashire, Newcastle, Leicester, Colwyn Bay, North Wales, Derbyshire, as well as Barking and Dagenham.
Shocking videos emerged showing that legitimate QR codes had been stickered over with the fake codes.
When scanned the fake QR codes lead unlucky victims, who believe they are paying a charging or parking provider, to a bogus site which can steal both their money and details.
On first glance, the sign looks and appears to be legitimate which could easily trick unsuspecting customers
Once the sticker showing the black QR code was removed, you can see the real green code underneath
Those that fall for the scam are still liable to pay for their parking charge or may face shock fines as they believe their payment was successful but instead went to the scammers.
And, some motorists claim to have been the target of large scale thefts- with one woman saying she had £1,500 taken from her bank account.
How does the QR code con work?
To scam unfortunate victims out of their cash, fraudsters use fake QR codes, that when scanned, mimic real payment sites.
The scam artists sticker over legitimate QR codes on parking and charging machines, leading unsuspecting motorists to believe they are paying for their service.
In reality, drivers bank details have been given over, leaving motorists vulnerable to large scale thefts.
To avoid the scam, drivers have been warned to be vigilant.
Rubbing your finger over the QR may help determine whether it is real as some have barcodes which you can feel.
Using certified apps or using payment websites online is another secure option.
And finally, cash may be king for drivers and is a safe option against the scam.
<!- - ad: https://mads.dailymail.co.uk/v8/gb/news/none/article/other/mpu_factbox.html?id=mpu_factbox_1 - ->
Advertisem*nt
The scam QR codes had been stickered over three pay and display meters in Lytham St Annes, Lancashire.
One woman wrote on Facebook that she'd used the St Annes beach car park and was scammed to the tune of £1,500.
She said: 'I paid for parking, or so I thought, at the St Anne's Beach car park using this (QR code) as I had no cash.
'Then £1,500 has gone out of my bank! They said just five minutes after I 'paid' someone tried adding my card to their Google Pay.
'Hopefully I will get it back as police, Action Fraud and the company he's ordered things from with my card have been informed.
'Apparently he's used my card to buy car parts in Hinckley (Leicestershire) My son paid same way on same day and they tried his yesterday too.'
Another victim in Lancashire wrote: 'I got done by this on Monday. I got an alert from my bank last night about it. It's all sorted but they tried to use it at Sainsburys for £104.'
A council spokesman said: 'We've investigated and found stickers with a large QR code have been placed on some of our car park pay and display machines and tariff boards.
'Since removing these fake QR codes, more have been placed including Dicconson Terrace car park, St Paul's Avenue and Stanner Bank.
'Please do not scan any, we are currently working to solve this issue.'
Fylde Council confirmed it had removed the stickers and advised those who had used the codes to contact their bank and Lancashire Police.
Tina Sheppard from Derbyshire also fell prey to the scam in Leicester, which began to take amounts from her bank account reaching £80.
Ms Sheppard told the Derby Telegraph: 'the code looked totally genuine. I was off to a business event, and, to be honest, my biggest concern was that it was dark and I wanted to get to the hotel where I was dropping my bags off safely
'I tried to download the parking app on the car park board and it redirected me to a website instead. It looked totally genuine and after putting my card details into the site it crashed.
Fylde Council said it had removed the fake stickers, but more had since appeared
The fake codes have been put on display at three car parks
'I actually called my husband to help me remotely and he successfully managed to help me from home. The bank then contacted me to ask if I had genuinely purchased from the site, and thinking there was no issue, I said "yes".'
Luckily Ms Sheppard's bank was able to retrieve her stolen money.
Last month, drivers in Cheltenham were also targeted by the scam on car parks.
The council's deputy chief executive Paul Jones urged residents to avoid the QR codes and use cash, card and apple pay instead.
In Colywn Bay, North Wales, police are investigating the parking scam designed to snare locals and tourists at two high profile seafronts.
Conwy Council said scammers use these sites to steal payment information, often leading to more fraudulent payments.
Anyone who has fallen victim to this kind of scam has been advised to contact their bank to stop further funds being taken, the council advised.
A spokesperson for the local authority said: 'Civil enforcement officers working for the council will continue to monitor parking machines across the county and remove any unauthorised notices.
'The council has reported the issue to North Wales Police and PayByPhone, which are working to remove the fraudulent site.'
In Newcastle, drivers were warned not to use QR codes to pay for parking, with at least three victims recorded by Newcastle City Council.
A spokeswoman for the council said: 'The codes are not linked to any official payment website and are not used by the city council as a payment method.
'Following each reported incident we have immediately gone to the car park in question to check for, and remove, any unofficial signage. However on each occasion we have found the signs to have already been removed.'
‹ Slide me ›
Spot the difference: Paybyphone's legitimate website (left) looks remarkably similar to the one created by scammers
Three council run car parks, Dean Street, Morden Street, and Blandford Square, had been targeted with victims losing £60 from the fraudsters.
Drivers in Portsmouth were warned that QR codes led to 'mimic' sites of their official parking app RingGo, who do not use QR code payments.
Cllr Peter Candlish, Cabinet Member for Transport said: ' We don't use any QR codes for parking in the city, so we urge everyone to stay alert and only use official sources to prevent giving away their payment details. It's crucial for people to use the official RingGo app to pay for parking in Portsmouth to avoid falling for scams like fake QR codes.'
In London, it was drivers of electric vehicles who were the target of the QR code scam.
The fraudulent QR codes had been stickered over a Siemens Ubitricty EV charging port asking drivers to scan the code to pay for charging.
In a shocking video, one man peeled away the fake QR code to reveal the legitimate sign beneath.
An investigation by the BBC found that QR code scams in the UK had increased from 112 in 2020 to 400 in the first nine months of 2023, according to Action Fraud.
A woman from Teesside, faced losing more than £13,000 when she fell victim to a fake QR code in Thornaby Station in 2023 and said the incident had left her suffering 'sleepless nights'.
