Motorists are being urged to think twice when paying for parking as it could leave them significantly out of pocket. One of the latest problems hitting unsuspecting drivers comes when paying to park using mobile devices such as phones.
More places are making parking card or mobile payment only, and with the change has seen a new scam - 'quishing' - which tricks people into sharing their details on fake websites. The con involves people scanning genuine-looking QR codes that fraudsters have stuck on machines which then take their money while leaving them at risk of a fine for not paying their parking bill.
Rise in reported cases
The crime has been on the rise, with reported cases increasing from 100 in 2019 to 1,386 in 2025. To help motorists stay alert and avoid this scam, Dan Briggs, CEO at frontline worker car discount company Motorfinity, shares his top three tips.
Skip the QR code altogether
Dan explains: “Even if you don’t suspect the QR code has been tampered with, it’s good practice to skip scanning the code altogether and pay either on the official website or app. Much of the parking in the UK is managed by a few popular payment apps, such as PayByPhone and RingGo, and they’ve both said they don’t use QR codes on their signs.
PayByPhone said they’ve taken a hard stance on QR code scams and, as a direct result, they no longer provide parking operating partners with QR codes for motorists to make payments in the UK.”
Inspect the URL and the QR code sticker
“A clear telltale sign that a QR code is a scam is if the sticker has been placed over an existing QR code,
