Don’t lose your Christmas money to scammers this year: beware of fake parking penalty texts

A parking fine is unlikely to be at the top of anyone’s Christmas list, but what’s more frustrating is falling for a scam text and giving up your hard-earned cash for no reason.

It used to be pretty easy to spot a fake text regarding a penalty notice. They may be littered with spelling mistakes or contain a dodgy-looking link, for example. However, scammers are getting better at making these texts look more convincing.

Just look at this one received by our senior reviews writer, Mario Christou. The grammar is near spot-on, and the gov.uk link looks real as well. But don’t be fooled. There are still plenty of ways of telling that this is a scam.

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How to spot a fake parking fine text

The biggest red flag here is that you’re getting this text at all. If this text is the first you’re hearing of any parking fine, it’s almost certainly a scam. Councils and parking firms won’t notify you of a penalty charge notice via text, you’d get a letter in the post.

The letter would contain the date and time and the location of the offence, as well as photographic evidence to support the fine. It would also have instructions on how and where you can pay. I was unlucky enough to get a real parking ticket earlier this year, and here’s what a real ticket letter looks like.

Even if you have had a parking fine in the post, it won’t be chased via text. If you get a text message about a parking ticket, contact the company on the original letter for clarification. Don’t click any links or respond to the text.

Fake links

While a gov.uk link may look real, the government wouldn’t be chasing you about a parking charge. That would come from a local authority or a private parking company.

False claims

“Non-payment may lead to suspension of your driving licence”. No it won’t. A parking fine is a civil matter, not a criminal offence. You wouldn’t get points or a driving ban for failing to pay a penalty charge notice, although the parking company could take you to court in real cases.

Thin on details

This text is very vague. It doesn’t detail the specific parking misdemeanour, the date of the alleged offence or how much the fine is. It just urges you to pay it now.

What do I do if I’ve received a scam text?

Don’t panic, simply ignore and report it. You can forward the text to 7726 to report it to the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC).

What happens if I respond to a scam text?

It’s important that you don’t click any links or respond to these scam texts. At best, you might end up making a one-off payment to a scammer for no reason. But most of these scams are set up to get your personal information such as name, address and bank details.

From there scammers can help themselves to your bank accounts, set up credit cards in your name and more.

If you’ve shared any of your personal information with a scammer, head to the NCSC website to see what steps you can take to protect yourself.

Lost money or been hacked?

If the scam has cost you money or you think your device has been compromised, report it to Action Fraud via their website (www.actionfraud.police.uk) or by calling 0300 123 2040. If you’re in Scotland, contact Police Scotland on 101.

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