Fylde Council have been investigating stickers (see featured photographs) with a large QR code which have been placed on some of the local car park pay and display machines and tariff boards.

A Spokesperson for Fylde Council has issued this very important warning, ‘If you see these QR codes please do not use them, they have been placed by scammers!

If you have used them, please contact the police & your bank. These stickers have been removed as far as we know. The safest way to use these machines is to download the MiPermit App.’

Meanwhile, motorists who have been affected have been commenting.

Vanessa Heathcote wrote, ‘I was done only yesterday because of this. Paid for parking (or so I thought) at the St Anne’s Beach Car Park using this as had no cash, £1500 gone out my account the day after and the bank said 5 mins after me “paying” someone tried adding my card to their Google pay 😡 hopefully get it back as police, action fraud and the company he’s ordered things from with my card have been informed! Irish guy apparently and he’s used my card to buy car parts in Hinckley. Then my son paid same way same day and they trod his yesterday too.’

Brandon Prestwich wrote, ‘Me and my partner fell for this on Saturday afternoon. They then tried to take a £44 payment. Fortunately the bank refused the payment. All makes sense of who was trying to scam us. The name of the bank Statement was BITSA.’

This scam had already been flagged up on Lytham St Anne’s Chat. One message said, ‘Hi, My sister and my nephew both used a St. Anne’s Carpark yesterday to park. Both paid by card and both have tried to have nearly £2000 in total spent on their different bank accounts after it. Been reported and apparently there not the only ones!’ See: https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=490840436760878&set=gm.2852497551565849&idorvanity=551060351709592