Totnes Community Hospital issues alert regarding QR code parking fraud

An alert has been issued to visitors of Totnes Community Hospital, urging vigilance following the discovery of a fraudulent QR code label on a parking machine at the location. The British Parking Association (BPA) stated that scanning such a deceptive QR code can lead individuals to counterfeit websites engineered to illicitly obtain payment details. A hospital visitor publicly shared on social media that over £140 was debited from her bank account subsequent to scanning the code. Personnel at the hospital confirmed that the counterfeit QR code label has since been removed, and the car parks on the premises are now under close surveillance. Emma Bovey became a victim of this fraudulent scheme during a recent visit to Totnes Hospital. “I scanned the QR code on the machine and it took me to what I thought was the parking website, asked what site I was at how long I wanted to pay for,” she said. She added: “They took £146.79 which came out of my account and then tried to take a further £849 but thankfully I didn’t have that much in my account.”Thankfully the fraud team with NatWest refunded my money by the next working day.” A representative for Torbay and South Devon NHS Foundation Trust stated: “Following the discovery of a scam QR code stuck on a machine at Totnes Community Hospital, we are currently monitoring all of our payment machines in car parks across our hospitals and healthcare sites.”We believe this aligns with similar reports of scam QR codes affecting car parks both in our region and across the country.”Please be vigilant and familiarise yourself with the information and advice available on parking association and scam alert websites.” The BPA provides the following guidance to assist users in identifying and evading fraudulent QR codes: This alert regarding the QR code scam coincides with the BBC’s launch of Scam Safe Week, an initiative providing guidance and recommendations to combat fraud. Follow BBC Devon on X, Facebook and Instagram. Send your story ideas to spotlight@bbc.co.uk.Copyright 2024 BBC. All rights reserved. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Read about our approach to external linking.