Driver Issues Warning After Falling Victim to Parking App Scam

Milton Haworth, a driver, has cautioned others against “clever scams” after he used an unauthorized application to pay for parking. Mr. Haworth downloaded the “Finda” app by scanning a QR code he encountered at a council-managed car park in Castleford, West Yorkshire. He initially agreed to a 90p charge for bank detail verification. However, he was subsequently charged £39 for an app subscription without his knowledge, and no refund was offered after the subscription was cancelled. The Chartered Trading Standards Institute has issued a warning that parking scams are becoming increasingly prevalent, utilizing fraudulent applications, deceptive penalty notices, and counterfeit QR codes. Action Fraud has documented a significant increase in reports related to parking incidents. Mr. Haworth, a photographer from Garforth, near Leeds, shared his experience on BBC Radio 4’s You and Yours programme, stating: “You’ve got to be extra, extra careful. This is quite a clever scam – I think I’m quite savvy with IT and scams like that.” He explained that he scanned the code after another car park user informed him that the pay and display machine was not accepting coin payments. Wakefield Council stated that it had recently replaced signage at its car parks after becoming aware of the widespread nature of parking scams. When Mr. Haworth revisited the site at Carlton Lanes, accurate information regarding mobile phone payment options was displayed. Action Fraud informed You and Yours that it has received 2,600 reports mentioning the word “parking” so far this year, which is double its daily recorded figures from 2022. Increased public awareness of the methods employed by scammers is believed to be a factor in the rise of reported incidents. Reports have originated from various locations across the country, from Bournemouth to Aberdeen. Katherine Hart, a spokesperson for the Chartered Trading Standards Institute, noted that QR code scams, such as the one Mr. Haworth encountered, are among the most common. She commented: “It’s an emerging trend. It’s increasing and we’re seeing it everywhere now.” Ms. Hart added: “The common factor is that they’re trying to data harvest to financially exploit you at some point.” Ms. Hart further explained that even when a company agrees to cancel a “subscription,” individuals are frequently targeted again with bogus parking tickets or by entities impersonating their bank. Anyone who suspects they have been scammed should contact their bank. This issue has also created difficulties for legitimate parking applications, such as RingGo. Peter O’Driscoll, RingGo’s managing director, stated that fake websites often attempt to impersonate their service. He advised the public to avoid scanning QR codes entirely unless they are presented in a “closed environment” like a restaurant or shop. Mr. Haworth, who expressed disappointment that his bank could not assist in reimbursing the money, added: “It raises the question of how this company is being allowed to continue to openly steal from people. They are preying on people, many of them, like myself, getting on in years.” He continued: “They are deliberately shrouded in secrecy. I could not find the terms and conditions on my phone when I was at the car park.” He concluded by saying: “These signs should not be allowed to remain on parking meters.” An email sent to Mr. Haworth by Finda indicated that following a “24-hour trial,” there would be a price increase, and a monthly fee would be automatically charged if the subscription was not cancelled within the trial period. Finda subsequently agreed to cancel the subscription and closed Mr. Haworth’s account. When contacted by the BBC, Finda did not respond to the questions posed to them. Copyright 2024 BBC. All rights reserved. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Read about our approach to external linking.