Fake DVSA ‘parking penalty charge’
Two residents have recently reported scam texts advising penalty charge notices for parking. The latest scam text is followed up days later with further fake final payment reminder warnings
Parking penalty charge text
The first text is detailed and explains that if you don’t pay an overdue ‘parking penalty charge’ you may have to pay more, be banned from driving, or go to court. But there are tell-tale signs it’s fake.
- The phrase ‘parking penalty charge.’- There are only two types of parking fines you can get and they’re called a Penalty Charge Notice (PCN) or a parking charge notice, not a ‘parking penalty charge.’
- The DVSA doesn’t issue parking tickets or parking fines. – It’s a government body that oversees driving safety and carries out driving tests and MOTs, but doesn’t issue parking fine notices.
- The threat that ‘your car may be banned from driving.’ – First, you or your car can’t be banned from driving after getting a parking fine, even if you don’t pay.
- Grammatical errors – The message contains errors, including commas, spaces and capital letters in the wrong places.
- The link – The one included is not an official government web domain, which should end in ‘gov.uk’. “TinyURL” is one of many link-shortening services that can mask real web addresses.
Final payment warnings
Those who’ve opened the original fake DVSA text have reported receiving several follow-up texts days later. The texts warn that time is running out to get an early-payment discount, and some include threatening final payment demands.
The links take victims to a copycat government website designed to steal your personal details.
Why parking fine texts are always fake.
Texts or emails threatening parking charges are always fake because real Penalty Charge Notices or parking charge notices must be sent to you by letter through the post.
The letter will be addressed to you personally, will include your vehicle registration number, details about where and when the parking contravention happened and will often include photos of where your car was parked.
Parking fines are issued based on your car’s registration number and the name and address your vehicle is registered to. Local authorities and companies that issue parking charge notices (PCNs) do not have access to your phone number or email address, so they can’t contact you using those details.
What to do if you receive a scam text message
- Ignore scam texts and don’t follow any links included in the message. You can report scam texts to the National Cyber Security Centre by forwarding the message to 7726.
- If you think you have shared personal information with a scammer, such as your registration number, name, address or contact details, be wary of further attempts to scam you using your details to get you to trust them.
- If you’ve shared bank account or payment card details, let your bank know so it can take extra steps to protect your money.
- If you’ve lost money, report it to your bank and Action Fraud or by calling 0300 123 2040.
