Drivers warned of 'most common' parking scam in the UK causing £3.5m a year in losses

Drivers have been warned about one of the “most common” types of parking scam found in the UK. This particular con is thought to have resulted in around £3.5m in losses in just one year.

Experts from new driver insurance company Zego, provided essential advice on the scams drivers should look out for in 2025 and the best ways to avoid them. As part of this they advised people to be “extremely cautious” of QR codes in car parks.

QR codes are a machine-readable code consisting of a mix of black and white squares.

Typically, you scan this code using the camera of your smartphone and it will take you to a website.

You may have seen them on restaurant or pub menus, allowing you to order from your table.

Figures from Action Fraud, show that in the first quarter of 2025 alone there were 502 filed reports of parking QR code scams.

These occur when fraudsters attach fake QR codes to car park signs or machines, sending unsuspecting customers to the wrong website.

A spokesperson for Zego said: “Perhaps the most common parking fraud at the moment, this scam known as ‘quishing’, has lost drivers in the UK £3.5 million between April 2024 and April 2025.

“The fraudulent QR code stickers are placed on top of the legitimate scan codes on parking machines, re-directing drivers to fraudulent websites where their personal and payment information is being stolen.”

To avoid getting caught out, they explained how to spot a scam.

“It is extremely important for drivers not to trust QR codes at car parks and inspect them very carefully before actually scanning them,” they said.

“Look closely for any signs that might show the QR code has been tampered with and is a sticker placed on top of a legitimate code.”

If you’re still unsure after taking these steps you can find the official website. To do so you can check it’s secure by looking for the “https://” at the beginning.

Or you could use the official app of the organisation, instead of scanning a “potentially dangerous” QR code.