Con artists have initiated the use of counterfeit QR codes on parking machines to deplete individuals’ bank accounts – with one unfortunate individual losing over £1,500.
The phony stickers have been affixed to pay and display machines, as well as tariff boards throughout Lytham St Annes, Lancs.
Fylde Council confirmed the removal of the fraudulent stickers, only to discover the appearance of additional ones later on.
The council recommended that anyone who interacted with the QR codes should reach out to Lancashire Police and their bank for assistance.
The deceptive QR codes were detected at Dicconson Terrace car park, St Paul’s Avenue, and Stanner Bank, leading some drivers who fell victim to report unauthorized transactions on their accounts.
One female victim expressed on social media that after using the QR code at St Annes beach car park, she was duped out of £1,500.
‘I thought I had made a parking payment at St Anne’s Beach car park using this (QR code) as I lacked cash. However, £1,500 vanished from my bank account! Shortly after, someone tried registering my card on Google Pay,’ she detailed.
‘I hope to recover the funds as the police, Action Fraud, and the company the fraudster ordered goods from with my card have been notified,’ she added.
‘Allegedly, my card was used to purchase car parts in Hinckley (Leicestershire). On that same day, my son made a payment using the same method, and they also tried to unauthorizedly charge his card yesterday,’ she continued.
Another victim disclosed, ‘My partner and I fell prey to this scam last Saturday. They attempted to process a £44 payment thereafter.’
Reach Out
Have you been ensnared by a fake QR code? Contact our news team by sending an email to webnews@metro.co.uk.
‘Thankfully, the bank declined the transaction. It all adds up now regarding who was attempting to deceive us. The bank statement indicated the name BITSA (a virtual prepaid VISA card),’ another victim shared.
‘I got caught in this trap on Monday. My bank notified me about it last night. The issue has been resolved, but they tried to use it at Sainsbury’s for £104,’ another individual revealed.
A spokesperson from the council stated, ‘Upon investigation, we discovered stickers with large QR codes placed on some of our car park pay and display machines and tariff boards.’
‘Following the removal of these bogus QR codes, additional ones appeared at Dicconson Terrace car park, St Paul’s Avenue, and Stanner Bank,’ the spokesperson added.
They advised, ‘Please refrain from scanning any QR codes. We are actively working to rectify this problem.’
Contact our news team via email at webnews@metro.co.uk.
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