The recipient will receive the text message from an unknown number
The recipient will receive the text message from an unknown number(Image: Joseph Raynor/ Nottingham Post)
Police have issued an urgent warning about a scam targeting people in a Greater Manchester borough.
People living in Tameside have reported receiving a text informing them about an unpaid Penalty Charge Notice (PCN) in recent days.
The text goes on to inform the recipient that it relates to an unpaid parking ticket, with a false deadline for payment also provided in the message.
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The message goes on to warn that in the failure of a payment being made, the person receiving the text could face additional penalties, interest payments and an impact on their credit score.
The scammers appear to make the text look authentic with the use of a hyperlink, which, if clicked, takes the recipient to a payment page to input their personal bank details.
The scam message in question(Image: GMP)
“We urge you to make the payment promptly to to prevent any potential loss of your driving privileges or future legal complications,” the message reads.
Greater Manchester Police have confirmed they have received reports of the scam text being sent out to residents in Tameside and urged anyone who receives it to report it immediately.
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“We have been advised that the below scam text message is being sent to Tameside residents.,” a post shared by the force read. “If you receive this message, or any other message you suspect of being a scam, you can report it through Report a scam text message – NCSC.GOV.UK.”
The official National Cyber Security Centre guidance encourages people to report suspicious text messages by forwarding it to the official service.
Most phone providers are part of a scheme that allows customers to report suspicious text messages for free by forwarding it to 7726. If you forward a text to 7726, your provider can investigate the origin of the text and arrange to block or ban the sender, if it’s found to be malicious.
You can also take a screenshot or screen recording of the text message and send it to report@phishing.gov.uk.
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