Fake Parking Ticket – How to spot them

Have you received a parking ticket and are unsure about its realness? You’re in the right place to get the guidance you need.

Every month, over 130,000 people visit our website to understand parking fines and tickets, so you’re not alone in this. 

In this article, we’ll give you simple and clear information on:

•  How to spot a fake parking ticket in 2023
•  Understanding a real Penalty Charge Notice (PCN) and why you might get one
•  Ways to avoid getting a fake parking ticket
•  What to do if you receive a fake PCN email
•  How to challenge a parking ticket easily 

The DVLA report that over 11 million parking tickets were issued last year, which is up by 29% year on year!¹ We know how frustrating it can be to get a parking fine, especially if it’s a fraudulent one. But don’t worry; we have plenty of useful advice and examples to help you through the process.

So, sit tight and get ready to find out how to deal with fake parking tickets.

First – what is a real Penalty Charge Notice (PCN), and why you’d get one?

Also called a parking ticket, a Penalty Charge Notice (PCN) is a fine you could get for:

• Parking without paying or illegally
• Breaking certain traffic regulations
• Failing to pay other things like London Congestion zone charges

There are several ways you could receive a genuine PCN. The ticket could be left on your windscreen or sent to you through the post. The issuer finds your address through the DVLA using your car’s registration!

You won’t be sent a PCN or other genuine parking ticket by email from a local authority or private parking operator!

Penalty Charge Notice (PCN) scam emails

Motorists in some regions of the country are aware of a parking ticket scam involving emails. One such alert is a PCN supposedly sent by the HM Courts & Tribunals Service (HMCTS).

Fraudsters want to steal your bank details by sending these scam PCN emails to people. The email states that if you don’t pay on time, the charge increases and provides a link so you can pay quickly before this happens.

DO NOT click on the link!

The email may seem genuinely from HMCTS, but when you look closer, you’ll see:

• Spelling mistakes – an example being “penality”
• The sender’s address is not @justice.gov.uk

Above all, HMCTS never issues Penalty Charge Notices – EVER!

What to do when you get a fake parking ticket email

When you think you’ve been sent a phoney parking notice from HMCTS, do the following:

• Report it to Action Fraud immediately.
• You can also forward the email to [email protected]. 
• Also, forward the bogus PCN email to The National Cyber Security Centre.

NEVER click on any links in the scam email! If you do, contact your bank and let them know you may have inadvertently provided your details to fraudsters.

» TAKE ACTION NOW: Get legal support from JustAnswer

Fake parking fines on your windscreen

You can buy fake parking tickets online. Supposedly they are to be used as jokes! However, things have gone horribly wrong when pranksters try it out on unwitting people.

Some of the tickets may look authentic but don’t contact any details on the ticket if you’re unsure. Instead, contact the real issuer for the area and check that the ticket is genuine.

PCNs in the post

Not all parking tickets are placed on your windscreen or given to you by hand. You can get one in the post.

When you receive one in the mail, please don’t do anything until you’re sure it is legitimate PCN and not fake. For example, do not send a payment until you are sure the ticket is yours to pay and that you committed the offence.

Fake PCNs from other people

You may find a fake parking ticket on your car placed there by other people and not an authority. Although it may not be a scam to get money out of you, it is still very annoying.

You could find the ticket is genuine but was put on your car by another driver. Always check the details on a parking ticket before you do anything.

How to avoid fake parking tickets

If you think a parking ticket is fake, do the following:

• Check who issued the ticket: Was it a private parking operator or a local authority? You can contact them directly to determine whether they gave the ticket! DO NOT call the number on the ticket if there is one. Instead, look up the official contact details of the council or private operator for the area.
• Verify it’s your car’s registration number on the ticket and not someone else’s. Even if the details are correct, the ticket could still be fake. If you have any suspicions, don’t do anything until you speak to someone official.

Parking tickets are big business!

Councils and private operators make millions by issuing Penalty Charge Notices (PCNs). Some boroughs in London issue hundreds of thousands of tickets every year. With so much money at stake, fraudsters are cashing in. It doesn’t help that you can buy phoney parking stickers online either.

Also, even with new laws in place, a physical parking ticket is not always required. As such, you may receive one in the mail. But you’ll NEVER get a parking ticket sent via email!

My advice, if you feel a parking ticket is not genuine, no matter how you got it, contact the official issuer and not the number on the ticket. 

Instead, go online and find out who the issuer should be and then use the contact details provided on their website.

NEVER feel pressured to make a quick payment to avoid extra costs! Remember, when you get authentic parking fine, you have 14 days to cough up (or appeal) when it’s left on the windscreen.

However, if you get a parking ticket in the post, you could be given 21 days to pay! To better understand how an appeal process works, please take a look at the following table.

Process:	Steps you should take:
When you receive the ticket…	You should gather as much evidence as you can to support your appeal claim and prove that the ticket was unfairly issued.
If you were given the ticket in person/attached to your car…	You must make an informal appeal (sent to the local authority/council that issued the PCN) within 14 days. This should be a letter with the evidence proving why the ticket was incorrectly given.
If it was posted to you…	You will be given 21 days to submit an informal appeal (from the day you received the letter). Your informal appeal should be a letter with the evidence proving why the ticket was incorrectly given.
If the informal appeal is rejected…	You will receive a Notice to Owner and will have 28 days to respond to this with a formal appeal. You can conduct the formal appeal online or via paper form. The Traffic Penalty Tribunal can send you one of these forms.
If the formal appeal is rejected…	You will receive a Notice of Rejection. From here, you are free to challenge the council’s verdict at an independent tribunal.
If the independent tribunal disagrees with your appeal…	You should pay the ticket within 28 days of the tribunal rejecting your appeal. If you don’t, the fine will be increased by 50%. If you don’t have the money to pay the fine, you should contact Citizens Advice or another debt charity.

In short, there is a procedure to follow that scammers ignore. They want you to pay quickly or get your bank details to defraud you some more!

Challenging PCNs is easier these days!

Even when a parking ticket is genuine, it’s easier to challenge these days. So when you think the parking ticket is fake, go to the gov.uk website, Type in the postcode of where you got the ticket and see what options you have for appeal.

References

1. RAC Foundation – Parking Tickets Statistics