A WARNING has been issued by City of Edinburgh Council advising visitors not to be duped by a “malicious” scam.
As the Fringe festival attracts thousands of tourists to the city, stickers urging drivers to pay for their parking via a QR code have appeared on some ticket machines in the capital.
However, the council has told drivers not to scan the code as this method of payment is not used by their parking provider RingGo.
In a statement issued on social media on Monday, the council said: “We've been made aware of malicious QR codes being put on some of our parking ticket machines.
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“Please do not scan these. Our provider @RingGo_parking has advice on their website to stay safe and avoid scams.”
The RingGo website states that it will never ask customers to scan a QR code in order to pay.
Instead, they are urged to download the RingGo app directly from the App Store or Google Play or use the official websites: ringgo.co.uk and myringgo.co.uk.
Deceptive QR codes are used by scammers to direct drivers to websites which mimic RingGo’s official site.
We've been made aware of malicious QR codes being put on some of our parking ticket machines. Please do not scan these.
— The City of Edinburgh Council (@Edinburgh_CC) August 19, 2024
Our provider @RingGo_parking has advice on their website to stay safe and avoid scams: https://t.co/cyUX4M9sVZ pic.twitter.com/kzYhJNi6fq
Last week, the RAC urged people to be “very vigilant” and only pay for their parking with cash, card or via official apps.
Simon Williams, the head of policy at RAC, said: “Unfortunately, the increasing popularity and ease of using QR codes appears to have made drivers more vulnerable to malicious scammers.
“For some, this sadly means a Quick Response code could in fact be a ‘quick route’ to losing money.”
He added: “As if this quishing scam isn’t nasty enough, it can also lead to drivers being caught out twice if they don’t realise they haven’t paid for parking and end up getting a hefty fine from the council.”
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