August 15th 2023.
Drivers have been warned about fake parking app promotions which use QR codes to trick them into setting up recurring payments. A driver told consumer champion Which? they tried to sign up for a parking app but were directed to a website called 'Alltainment'. They thought the website was part of the parking app, so they entered their bank details. Unfortunately, they had just signed up for an entertainment package from Alltainment costing £39.99 a month.
The scam works when drivers search for parking apps like JustPark, Parkonomy, PayByPhone or Ringgo on their phone. If they do this through their search engine, rather than on the app store, the top result is often a fraudulent website. Drivers can also be directed to a fraudulent website by scanning a QR code placed by scammers at car parks.
Which? searched for JustPark on Google and found the top website was 'uk.apkpac[dot]com'. The website featured a promotion for JustPark through clickable ads which took people to Alltainment. It was designed and placed in a way to make the user assume it was linked to the legitimate parking app. If people are caught out, over the course of six months they could pay £239.94 and over 12 months £479.88.
The Alltainment website was created less than a year ago and has no contact details or company information. It was previously listed as Allariz Management Ltd and was based in Nicosia, Cyprus. Reviews for Alltainment started on June 30, suggesting it has just started operating in the UK.
JustPark confirmed the uk.apkpac website was not affiliated with it in any way and that it had 'no association' with Alltainment or Allariz Management Ltd. People have been entering their bank details into the app unaware they could be losing hundreds of pounds. It has reported the platforms for product misrepresentation, scamming and copyright infringement.
A spokesperson for JustPark told Which?: 'We value and prioritise protecting our customers’ safety, and only operate through official channels to bring a secure experience to all users. For access to the official JustPark app and website, UK customers can visit the Apple App Store or the Android Play Store, or visit http://www.justpark.com. Promotional materials and digital advertisements posing as JustPark or as a JustPark vendor are fraudulent and should be reported to the relevant advertising platform.'
Which? reported the misleading adverts to Google who have taken action against the advertisers. A spokesperson said: 'We have strict ads policies that govern the types of ads and advertisers we allow on our platforms. We enforce our policies vigorously, and if we find ads that are in violation we remove them. We invest significant resources to stop bad actors and we are constantly evaluating and updating our policies and improving our technology to keep our users safe.'
If you believe you have been scammed, you can report it to the Advertising Standards Authority or the relevant platform. You should also contact your bank straight away and change any passwords that have been leaked or stolen. You can also report scams to Action Fraud by calling 0300 123 2040, or through the Action Fraud website. Any scam emails can be forwarded to
[email protected], and for scam text messages, forward them to 7726 for free.
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