The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency this afternoon issued an urgent warning to drivers who they said could leave them out of pocket. The DVSA said that people were being targeted by badly-spelled messages saying they need to pay a parking charge - or face a ban from driving.
The DVSA said scammers are sending text messages about fake DVSA parking penalty charges and warned people not to be taken in. In the message people are threatened if they don’t pay they could be banned from driving, have to pay more, and be taken to court.
The full text of the message (including spelling errors) has been released and it reads: “Dvsa notice for you: You have a parking penalty charge due on 2024/9/30. If you do not pay your fine on time, Your car may be banned from driving, you might haeve to pay more, or you could be taken to court. Please enter your license plate in the link after reading the information, Check and pay parcking penatly charge. Thank you again for your copperation. Dvsa.” DVSA does not issue or deal with parking fines.”
DVSA said it does not issue or deal with parking fines.
What to do if you receive a message
You can report scam text messages to the National Cyber Security Centre.
You do not need to contact DVSA if you have received the text message.
If you’ve responded to a scam text message
If you’ve been tricked into sharing personal information with a scammer, you can take immediate steps to protect yourself.
Find out what to do if you think you’ve shared personal information.
If you’ve lost money or have been hacked as a result of responding to a suspicious text message, report it:
- at www.actionfraud.police.uk or call 0300 123 2040 (in England, Wales or Northern Ireland)
- to Police Scotland by calling 101 (in Scotland)
