Warning issued over scam text message

Hartlepool Borough Council’s Parking Section and Trading Standards Team have received a number of complaints from local people, and the authority 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 from “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% if it isn’t paid within this time.

A web link embedded within the text takes recipients to a fake gov.uk page which states the fine is £20. 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.

Trading standards officials are stressing that people should not click on the link in the message. They say that aside from taking people to a convincing copycat gov.uk webpage, the page could also have hidden spyware embedded within it that will be used to steal personal details.

The scam text message

Councillor Karen Oliver, Chair of the Council’s Neighbourhood Services Committee, 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 not to call the number in the text. This will be a random number and will not connect, but people who do call it run the risk of being added to future scams lists. Anyone who has called the number should be vigilant as to any future messages they might receive.”

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. Guidance on how to forward details to OFCOM can be found here.