DVSA issues warning over parking scam as fake text messages are sent to UK drivers

An urgent warning has been issued to British drivers to be wary of parking ticket scams posing as government agencies.

The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) said it has seen scammers pretending to be the agency sending fraudulent text messages to drivers. These texts typically inform the recipient that they are receiving a “parking fine” and send them a link to make a payment.

The text messages often contain threats that if the amount is not paid within a certain time frame, this could be a driving ban, a higher fine or legal action.

The DVSA doesn’t deal with parking fines, so they’ll never send anyone a text message like this. Other than that, the main clues are spelling and grammar mistakes, and whether the message was sent from a personal mobile number.

The DVSA has shared a text message that several people have received recently which says: “DVSA notice to you: you have a parking fine to pay.”

“If you do not pay your fine on time, your vehicle may be banned from the road, you may have to pay more or you may be taken to court.”

DVSA shared a fraudulent text message pretending to be from its agency which was sent to several drivers (DVSA)

The agency says anyone receiving a text message suspected of being fraudulent should report it to the National Cybersecurity Center.

RAC spokesman Rod Dennis said: “This new text message trick is the latest in a series of nasty scams where criminals are tricking drivers into mimicking online payment methods.

“It’s incredibly unusual to receive a text message about a parking ticket when there was no ticket on your vehicle to begin with – and the ticket normally includes information about how to pay.

“For added security, we advise SMS recipients to first check whether they have to pay a fine with the authorities rather than following the SMS URL.

“If you have to pay a fine, ask for payment terms and, if you choose to pay online, make sure the website is authentic and that any information you enter is sent securely.”

When a driver breaks parking rules, they will usually receive a parking ticket or fine, depending on whether it is issued by a local authority or a private company.

Notifications of these offences are usually sent by post, as the DVLA can provide authorised bodies with the home address of any registered driver.