Scammers stick QR codes on car park payment signs

A car park in Swindon, a Wiltshire town where scam payment QR codes have been reported

Car park users are being warned to watch out for fake QR codes being stuck on genuine payment information signs by scammers.

Driver Emily Checksfield said she had a lucky escape when she scanned a scam QR code to pay at a car park in Chippenham, only for her phone to block the payment.

Fake QR codes have been reported around the country, the Chartered Trading Standards Institute said.

Wiltshire Council's Nick Holder said no other fake codes had been found at the authority's car parks. But he added: "We are not complacent and check the QR codes in all our car parks regularly."

Swindon Borough Council said it was also investigating reports of fake QR codes being used in its car parks.

QR codes help drivers to pay for parking quickly using their phones.

The codes direct them to a website or phone number to take payment.

Katherine Hart, the Chartered Trading Standards Institute's lead officer for scams, said a scam code "will either want your bank account details to scam you straight away or your personal details".

She added: "They are basically data harvesting. If you're worried, contact your bank straight away."

Mr Holder said: "To protect yourself from scams, we would encourage people to inspect the QR code for signs of tampering and do not scan it if it looks like a QR code has been placed over the original."