Car Parking ScamsExtracts from an Alert Message from Thames Valley Police. Read the full Alert. From Fake Text messages about unpaid tickets to tampered car park machines that secretly steal your card details, fraudsters are becoming increasingly creative. Fake parking finesThree signs to ascertain that it is a genuine parking notice: Real Parking fines will include the vehicle registration Real Parking fines will show the time/date of the offence Real Parking fines will show the Location where the alleged offence took place
A genuine fine will always come in writing and will be left on your windscreen, handed to you in person or arrive in the post. There are three types of fines you may receive: A penalty charge notice issued by the council A fixed penalty notice issued by the police usually linked to offences such as speeding A parking charge notice issued by a private company
What to do - and not doIf you have received a text message or email that doesn’t feel right, STOP! (This advice applies to all suspicious communications, not just potential parking scams.) Break the contact: do not reply, do not click on any links, do not call any phone numbers, do not make any payments. Check if it is genuine: contact the organisation directly using an email address or phone number you know is correct, e.g. from bills or official communications, via a search engine, on the back of your bank card, by calling 159 (see below) Forward spam calls and texts messages to 7726 and emails to report@phishing.gov.uk.
Skimming devices on parking machinesThis is a new scam which targets people paying for parking at machines. Fraudsters attach a physical device to the contactless payment reader on a parking machine and when you try to pay, the machine displays a “card declined” message. You walk away to try another machine but the skimming device has already stolen your card details. How to tell if a parking machine might have been tampered with: Check for extra stickers or other items on top of the contactless payment button Check for correct logos and branding. Trust your Instincts. If something looks or feels suspicious, don’t use the machine.
If in doubt, pay by cash or use a parking app on your smartphone. More help & adviceVisit the StopThinkFraud website for information on how to protect yourself from fraud If you have lost money or provided financial information because of fraud, notify your bank immediately and report it to Action Fraud. If you receive a phone call pretending to be from your bank OR asking for money or personal information: STOP HANG UP CALL 159.
159 is a safe and easily remembered number that will connect you to your bank. (NOTE that 159 will never call you back; beware of this scam, too.) Visit the Community Safety and Fraud & Scams pages on the Brill Parish Council & Community website for more information of all aspects of personal and community safety.
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