Bogus QR codes found on council car park machines

Trafford Council has warned drivers about a parking QR code scam in local car parks

Drivers have been warned to be on their guard when using pay-and-display machines at council car parks, after scammers plastered machines with fake QR codes.

Trafford Council discovered bogus barcodes on machines at several sites in Sale, which have since been removed by wardens.

“These scammers will stop at nothing to defraud innocent people of their money", said councillor Rose Thompson.

She urged anyone using council-owned car parks to "please use your card or download the RingGo app" on smartphones where possible.

Phony codes

The fake QR codes were spotted on ticket machines at car parks on Oakland Drive, Warrener Street and Hampson Street.

A Trafford Council spokesman said staff would now be checking the borough's car parks on a regular basis "to protect drivers from the fraudsters".

The spokesman stressed: "Council car parks in Trafford do not use QR codes."

It comes after Greater Manchester Police warned of a "steep rise" in QR code fraud across the city.

Ms Thompson said the scam had been in operation elsewhere in the UK, with people losing "thousands of pounds after inputting their details into the fake website".