Motorists are being warned to steer clear of fraudulent text messages that claim they have unpaid parking fines and demand immediate payment. The scam messages often threaten higher charges if the driver does not pay quickly, with some using urgent language such as “pay within 24 hours”.
How the Scam Works
The texts pretend to come from a council, parking authority, or official motoring service. They contain a link to a fake payment page that looks convincing on a phone screen. Daniel Weston, an SEO expert at SEO Backlinks, explained: “The text is only the bait. The real trap is usually the page it sends you to. A fake parking payment site can look convincing, especially if you are worried about a fine going up. Before you type in card details, stop and check the address bar.”
Spotting a Fake Website
Genuine council pages typically sit on a clear official domain. Drivers should be wary of links with strange words before or after the name, spelling changes, random numbers, or unfamiliar domain endings. Weston added: “Drivers should also be wary of any message that pressures them to act immediately. Scammers use short deadlines because they do not want you to pause, search the proper website, or ask someone else to check it.”
What to Do If You Receive a Suspicious Text
Motorists should not use links in unexpected texts about parking fines. Instead, they should search for the council or parking operator’s official website themselves and check any Penalty Charge Notice (PCN) reference through the genuine portal. Before entering any card details, they should look closely at the web address. Scam pages often use extra words, odd spellings, hyphens, numbers, or unfamiliar endings to mimic real sites.
Suspicious texts can be forwarded to 7726, the free spam-reporting service used by mobile networks, before being deleted. The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency has previously warned that it does not issue or deal with parking fines, after fraudsters used its name in fake messages. The British Parking Association has also urged drivers to check directly with the organisation that supposedly issued the notice.
A genuine parking fine should be checked through the issuing council, parking operator, or official appeals route, not through a link in a surprise text message.
