SOUTH Gloucestershire Council had to warn drivers that scammers are using its new car park payment scheme to target them for fraud – just a day after it was introduced.
The council launched charges at 22 of its off-street car parks, including Laburnum Road in Hanham and five car parks in Kingswood including Kings Chase, on May 19. The following day it issued a warning that criminals were placing QR codes for smartphones, directing victims to fake payment sites, on new parking machines and signs at some of its car parks.
The council has stressed that its parking scheme does not use QR codes. It said: “A small number of suspect stickers have already been found on the new machines and signs that have been installed in the 22 car parks where charging has been introduced.
“These have been removed by council officers and the team will continue to be vigilant in looking for and removing them if they appear as they visit the district’s car parks, in order to protect the public.
“People using the car parks are being asked to remember to only use the approved payment methods and to never scan a QR code if they see one in a council car park.”
The council says there are four authentic ways to pay for parking at the sites where charges have been introduced: by card or contactless payment at the new parking machines, via the the MiPermit app, the MiPermit website at tinyurl.com/y2ba46rv or via the MiPermit automated payment line on 0345 520 7007.