Drivers issued warning after fake QR codes stuck to ticket machines in Perth and Kinross

Perth and Kinross Council has warned car park users of fake QR codes stuck to its ticket machines.

The scam codes were spotted this week – and swiftly removed – from at least four council-run city car parks.

The local authority has urged customers not to scan any QR codes to pay for parking.

On Wednesday, April 15, Perth and Kinross Council posted on social media that fake QR codes had appeared overnight at ticket machines in two of its Perth car parks. Later that day, a spokesperson said they had been discovered in two more city car parks.

The local authority has urged car park users never to scan a QR code into their mobile device to pay for parking.

The warning – posted on Facebook – said: “To pay for parking, please use coins, your card or the official RingGo app. RingGo does not use QR codes for parking payments. Make sure you only download the app from the App Store or Google Play.

“If you see a QR code on a parking ticket machine, or are directed to any website asking for parking payment, outside the official app, please do not use it and report it to ParkingServices@pkc.gov.uk.”

Council parking staff are checking meters to remove any bogus QR payment codes.

A PKC spokesperson said: “Using fraudulent QR codes – also known as quishing – is, unfortunately, becoming a relatively common occurrence across the UK and we take swift action to prevent our car park users from falling prey to these scams.

“Perth and Kinross Council will never ask for people to pay through a QR code and our parking staff carry out regular checks of parking meters to keep them free of these scams.

“In this instance, we discovered fake QR codes on machines in South Inch, Speygate, Tay Street and in the car parks at AK Bell Library. These have been removed and we would advise anyone who thinks they may have been scammed to contact their banks immediately.

“Motorists can pay for parking at our machines with coins, cards, where available, and through the RingGo app. Anyone who wants to use RingGo should make sure they only download it through the official App Store or Google Play.”

It is not the first time PKC’s parking ticket machines have been targeted. In June 2025, an eagle-eyed parking attendant spotted and removed a fake QR code from a machine at the council-run Leonard Street car park in Perth.