Southampton City Council has called on the public to be vigilant after a series of incidents in which scammers have targeted pay and display machines with fake QR codes.

Council officers – as well as pay by phone staff – have been working to remove the stickers, which when scanned were taking users to a fraudulent website, risking money being taken from their account without verifying their parking.

READ MORE: Puccinis in Southampton keeps licence thanks to new owners

In a statement, a spokesperson for Southampton City Council said: “The council has become aware that scammers are targeting Pay and Display machines with QR codes for fake PayByPhone websites.

“Street based officers in parking services and other areas have been instructed to investigate pay and display machines across the city and remove any QR codes that they see.

“The council would ask that users are vigilant and ensure that they have the official PayByPhone app or pay using the machine directly. Do not scan any QR code stickers that have been stuck to machines or surrounding signs.”

They added: “Stickers can be reported to parking.services@southampton.gov.uk or PayByPhone directly.”