Parking Fine Text Scam Hits Suffolk Residents
Residents are urged to remain vigilant and to verify any parking fine claims through official channels before taking any action.
T he BBC has reported that Suffolk councils have issued an urgent warning about a widespread text message scam targeting local residents with fake parking fines. The fraudulent messages, part of a national scam operation, are causing concern among communities across the county and have already hit counties outside of Suffolk. West Suffolk Council has taken the lead in alerting the public about these deceptive texts. The messages contain a link to a counterfeit government website, where unsuspecting individuals are prompted to enter their vehicle registration number. Subsequently, the site falsely claims that a £20 parking fine is due.
A local resident who doesn’t drive shared their experience of receiving one of these scam texts, stating the text demanded £60 and threatened an increase if not paid promptly. The individual dismissed the message they do not drive; however other residents in the area had reported similar messages on local social media platforms. West Suffolk Council emphasised that it never issues parking fines via text message and advised that if one of these texts is received, the link should not be opened and the fine should not be paid. Recipients are encouraged to report the scam by forwarding the text to 7726, as recommended by Action Fraud and the National Cyber Security Centre.
The council clarified that legitimate fines are always issued as yellow penalty charge notices placed on vehicle windscreens by authorised civil enforcement officers. Suffolk Trading Standards confirmed that these fake texts are part of a nationwide scam. While they have received multiple reports about the messages, no cases of actual payments have been reported thus far.
COUNTER FRAUD | SCRUTTON BLAND | 9
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