Anyone with access to a car in the UK must be on high alert and watch out for a convincing new text message scam. The new message doing the rounds suggests that motorists have failed to pay for parking, and they must act right away to avoid any penalty charges. “ParkingEye – Unpaid Parking Session Notice,” the text reads. “Our records show that your vehicle exited the car park yesterday at 20:10. Payment for this parking session has not yet been received. Please enter your vehicle registration number to view your parking session.”
The tech team at Express.co.uk was sent the message from a reader concerned it might be a scam. To see exactly how easy it is for car owners to get tricked, we clicked on the links and, using fake details, followed the on-screen instructions.
Within seconds, the very official-looking web page said we owed £7.80 for a recent stay in a car park.
This was then followed by a payment option using a credit or debit card. What makes this scam concerning is how real it appears, with the payment website offering a very slick and official appearance. ParkingEye is also a real company that manages more than 4,000 sites across the country.
It’s now vital that anyone getting a similar message deletes it immediately and does not enter any details into the website, as this will hand data over to cyber crooks.
In a post on its website, ParkingEye said: “We are aware of fraudulent text messages being sent to the public that pretend to come from ParkingEye. They claim you have an unpaid parking charge and pressure you to pay through a link. These messages are not from us.
“If you have received one, do not click the link, do not reply, and do not enter any details.”
“If you have already entered card details or made a payment, contact your bank straight away and explain what happened. Keep an eye on your statements for anything you do not recognise. If you reused a password on the fake site, change it on any other account where you use it.”
Parking scams are growing in popularity, with many councils also urging people to be alert.
“We are warning anyone using our car parks and on-street parking not to respond to a text message stating that they have received a parking ticket,” Uttlesford council explained.
“The text message is fake and is part of a national scam. Genuine tickets are issued in a yellow penalty charge notice wallet and will be put on your vehicle windscreen.”
And the security team at Ealing council added, “We have been made aware of a scam text message falsely claiming you have an outstanding Penalty Charge Notice (PCN) or parking fine to pay. These messages are designed to trick you into clicking on malicious links that lead to fake websites, aiming to steal your personal details or money.”
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