MILLIONS of drivers have been warned over a 90p scam hiding in UK car parking which is believed to cost motorists hundreds every day.
Brits could pay for their parking and do everything right but still fall victim to the fraud without even realising it.
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Drivers have increasingly been complaining of dodgy QR codes being pasted on parking signs to swindle them, sometimes out of hefty fees.
Some of these have even been placed almost indistinguishably over existing payment QRs but redirect users to fraudulent sites.
Photographer Milton Howarth, from Garforth, Yorkshire, allegedly fell victim to a “clever” scam like that just last month when stopping in nearby Castleford.
Mr Howarth claimed that he was trying to pay for his permit when a QR code directed him to download an app called Finda.
He then apparently was asked to pay a 90p fee to verify his bank details in order to make the payment.
But he alleged that he was then charged £39 to subscribe to the app without being told about it.
He told BBC Radio 4: “You’ve got to be extra, extra careful.
“This is quite a clever scam.
“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.
“These signs should not be allowed to remain on parking meters.”
Mr Howarth’s worries have been echoed by the Chartered Trading Standards Institute, which has noted an increase in QR code scams.
Katherine Hart, a spokesperson for the Insitute, said: “It’s an emerging trend. It’s increasing and we’re seeing it everywhere now.
“The common factor is that they’re trying to data harvest to financially exploit you at some point.”
Likewise, the managing director of parking app RingGo has urged Brits not to scan codes unless they are found in a “closed environment” like a shop.
According to the BBC report, an email from Finda informed Mr Howarth that he had been billed after not cancelling his subscription within a “24-hour trial” period, despite his claims he was not informed of the charge.
The firm has reportedly agreed to cancel the subscription and close his account, but no refund has been offered.
SunMotors has contacted Finda for comment.
