Warning over fake QR codes at Derby City car park

Derby motorists have been warned to be on their guard after fake QR codes were seen stuck on pay stations at a city centre car park.

Alvaston councillor Alan Graves said he received a report to say there were suspicious QR codes on display – misleading visitors at the pay-and-display car park on Crompton Street.

A QR code is a barcode that a smartphone can scan and quickly process information to take people to websites or apps.

The 29-space car park is privately owned and is not run by the council.

Councillor Graves said he inspected the codes using his mobile phone and said they took him to a fake website asking for money. He believes many could have been tricked into believing the website was genuine and then could have easily paid money into it.

This latest incident comes following reports of similar fake QR codes at car parks across the country. A recent report said one driver had a “lucky escape” in Chippenham when her phone managed to block a payment.

Swindon Borough Council said it was investigating reports of fake QR codes being used in its car parks, according to the article.

Councillor Graves told the Local Democracy Reporting Service the fake codes at Crompton Street car park had been removed and that he wanted to warn people about using QR codes for any type of purchase.

He said: “It’s a big crime. The codes take you to a fake website. It was asking for money and you only have to rack up a few people and you can get a lot of money.

“What is worse is the real car park operator will not register them as having paid so they may even get fined.

“People have to be careful when using them and check if it is the right website they are going on. We are living in a world where these things are happening and I don’t know when it is going to stop.”

Derby City Council says on its website that many car parks have made the switch to cashless payments using payments online or through an app.

A council spokesperson said: “Scammers have tried to cash in on this by sticking fake QR codes to pay machines and tariff boards that lead to money being falsely taken from people’s bank accounts.

“The advice from DCC’s Trading Standards is to check if the QR code looks genuine or use a payment app instead. All council-run car parks in Derby are payable using the MiPermit app. Our team of enforcement officers also carry out regular checks of any QR codes in our car parks to make sure they link to the appropriate website.”