Hertsmere residents are being warned to be on their guard against a scam text message relating to the payment of an outstanding parking Penalty Charge Notice (PCN).
The borough council’s Parking Services Team have received a number of complaints and is keen to raise wider awareness of the scam.
Trading Standards officials say that where the rules of a car park are genuinely broken, the registered keeper of the vehicle involved will receive a letter and not a text, because vehicles are registered to addresses not phone numbers.
The scam text message states only that the recipient has received a PCN issued by ‘a local council’ and provides no further detail.
It says that 28 days is allowed for payment of the fine, but warns it will increase by 50 per cent if it isn’t paid within this time.
It then states that if the person does not pay, they will be prosecuted.
A web link embedded within the text takes recipients to a fake website. No details are provided about the location of the alleged contravention when a vehicle’s registration number is entered. The payment page is live, however, and ready to take people’s money.
Councillor Chris Myers said: “This message has been brought to our attention by a number of concerned and worried residents, and we are keen to raise wider awareness of it.
“People should always be vigilant when receiving unexpected messages, and not be tempted to respond straight away – regardless of how official the message seems to be or how threatening it is.
“We would also advise people to check with our Parking Services team if they are concerned they may have received a parking ticket, who will be able to offer advice.
“Do not click the link. We would never send a text message or call the registered keeper with a parking fine, genuine parking tickets are sent to the owner by letter and will always provide details of the car, contravention, as well as the time and date the offense occurred. We also offer people the opportunity to contest the ticket.”
Trading standards officials advise people to forward the message on to 7726, OFCOM’s scam call and text message reporting facility, and then delete it.
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