Parking Penalty Charge Notice Scam Warning

20th September 2024

The Highland Council Trading Standards service is urging motorists to be aware of a recent trend in scam texts aimed at tricking people into thinking they have to act quickly to pay a parking penalty charge notice (PCN).

The text asks you to pay the PCN which has been issued by "a local Council". It states you have 28 days to pay or you will be issued with a "Charge Certificate" which means you will have to pay the original PCN plus 50% more, and you only have 14 days to do this or you will be prosecuted, which will mean a larger fine and Court costs. The text then gives you a link to click on in order to pay.

Highland Council Trading Standards Team Leader, Mark McGinty, states: "The text is worded in such a way as to escalate pressure on the reader to pay quickly as things will only get worse if they don't. I'd urge anyone who receives such a text to just take a moment to think about it. Ask yourself about your vehicle, where you have parked, is there a link between your vehicle and your mobile phone number? Which Council is it? Of course, it's not just motorists as these texts are sent to any mobile telephone number.

"If you are suspicious at all, don't click on any links or give out any personal or bank details. Suspicious texts can be reported to mobile providers on 7726, this allows them to identify scam texts and block the numbers they use. Also make your friends and family aware, you will not be the only person to be sent this."

Shane Manning of Highland Council Traffic and Parking Services added: “We have seen a number of these texts sent to various people who have contacted our office. This is not how The Highland Council conducts business. We do not send texts and our advice is to ignore any texts of this type. The Highland Council will contact you regarding a PCN by post or email. If you have been issued a PCN by The Highland Council, you should visit our website for the required information."

Scam calls can be reported to Advice Direct Scotland on 0808 164 6000 or by visiting www.consumeradvice.scot .

If you think you may have lost money in a scam, report it to Police Scotland on 101.

From Trading Standards
Several people have received a new scam text message saying that an unpaid parking fine has been found on their vehicle. They are asked to click on a link to pay the fine immediately.
The link leads to a spoof government website that uses government logos, fonts and branding and asks you to enter personal details and to pay a £25 fine.

How to Avoid
Don't click links in unexpected messages.

Be suspicious of any unexpected message which appears to be from a government agency or official organisation and tells you that you must provide your details or a payment within a certain time frame.

In Scotland, you could get a parking fine from different sources:
A police officer or traffic warden can fix a penalty notice to your car - the notice will tell you how and when to pay the fine
A parking attendant employed by the local council can give you a penalty charge notice. The attendant must give you the notice or fix it to your vehicle. Again, the notice will tell you how and when to pay, or you can phone the local council to find out more.
You could get a parking ticket on private land - this is called a Parking Charge Notice (PCN). You might get a ticket on your windscreen or in the post. This should state the name of the landowner or company that has issued the ticket.
If you are searching online for contact details or information about any government services, make sure that the address of the website you are visiting ends in GOV.UK

Find out more
Original article: www.which.co.uk/news/article/scam-alert-new-parking-fine-scam-text
Information from Citizens Advice Scotland on paying parking fines in Scotland: www.citizensadvice.org.uk/scotland/law-and-courts/parking-tickets
UK Government advice on avoiding and reporting phishing messages: www.gov.uk/report-suspicious-emails-websites-phishing