Drivers told to beware QR code parking scam in Kensington and Chelsea

Drivers in Kensington and Chelsea have been issued with an urgent warning to avoid QR code parking scams after they reappeared in the borough.

The borough’s council said hoax QR codes were found on signage in at least six locations in January.

Phony stickers are being removed as they are spotted by parking and street enforcement officers, and the local authority stresses it does not use QR codes to link drivers to payment.

The council said drivers caught up in the scam risked handing over their financial information to scammers.

They said it can also lead to parking fines as victims of the hard-to-spot scam would have failed to pay the correct parking fare via proper channels.

In the past week, stickers have been spotted at several locations around Kensington High Street, Sloane Square and in the King’s Road including Campden Hill Road, Draycott Avenue, Coulson Street, Blacklands Terrace, Culford Gardens, Bray Place and Lincoln Street.

Cllr Cem Kemahli, lead member for planning and place, said: “If you use a QR code to pay for parking in Kensington and Chelsea, I guarantee that you are paying scammers instead of the council.

“Our parking system does not use QR codes at all. Instead you can pay in the PayByPhone app or over the phone. Our officers are removing these fake signs as quickly as we spot them but we want to make sure visitors and residents don’t fall foul of this cruel hoax.”

In May last year, the council issued a similar warning after signs appeared with hoax QR codes in Sloane Gardens and Bourne Street.

Drivers are being advised to contact police on 111 or the council if they come across a suspicious QR code.

Pictured top: One of the bogus QR codes found on a parking sign in the borough (Picture: Kensington and Chelsea council)