We’re all used to scams, especially those involving emails and texts purporting to be from official government agencies.

However, one has become so prolific across the country that the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) – responsible for the theory and practical driving test – has issued an official warning about the latest ruse from criminals trying to fleece us.

The text message states that you have a parking penalty charge and if you don’t pay on time, you could be banned from driving, have to pay more or be taken to court.

Pay up?

The text 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.”

One might hope that many of us would find the above suspicious due to the huge number of spelling mistakes alone – but it would appear enough people are falling for it for the DVSA to issue the warning.

Sting in the tail

Another reason could be the use of follow up reminders delivered right to your phone by the scammer. These include:

“You have not paid your ticket within the stipulated time. Today is the last time to notify you to pay. We will ban your car from driving on the road starting tomorrow and transfer your parking ticket to the court. Please wait until you receive the information. Process your ticket as soon as possible in the link.”

If you should ever receive a text claiming to be from the DVSA and demanding fees for parking penalty, remember that the agency does not issue or deal with parking fines. It’s typically the council or, if on private land, a private contractor hired by the land owner.

What to do

If you receive the text, you can simply ignore it. Better still, the DVSA recommends reporting the dodgy text to the National Cyber Security Centre here. However, if you’ve been duped into sharing personal info such as your address or bank details, head here to learn what to do next.

If you’ve responded to text directly, resulting in the loss of money or being hacked, you should report it here or call 0300 123 2040 if you live in England, Wales and Northern Ireland or 101 if you live in Scotland.

Know Your Code

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Main photo by Wayhomestudio on Freepik