Sale resident “almost paid” new parking scam to hit Trafford

Trafford Council have been made aware of a new technique by scammers who are attempting to con money from people parking in the borough. 

Residents have reported receiving text messages claiming to be from Trafford Council, asking for payment of a Penalty Charge Notice (PCN). The message may warn that non-payment within 28 days will lead to a ‘charge certificate’, claiming this means an increase of 50% to the original fine amount. 

Trafford Council would like to stress to all residents that it does not use text messaging to enforce parking fines in the borough. PCNs are issued by physical tickets to vehicles or handed to the driver when parked in violation of the signs and lines marked throughout the borough. 

Sale residents have already been subjected to these scam attempts, with a member of a local Facebook group claiming that they “nearly paid” after receiving the text below: 

If you receive a suspicious text claiming to be from Trafford Council, please help by reporting this to the Citizens Advice Bureau. Do not click any links in the message, as you may inadvertently download or access viruses which could compromise your phone’s security.

The council has reported this to the National Scams Team and will continue to work with Greater Manchester Police to tackle fraudsters.

Councillor Rose Thompson, Executive Member for Communities and Safety at Trafford Council said: 

“Unfortunately, we’re seeing scams which use text message or email all too commonly in the digital world we live in. Please be mindful that Trafford Council will not contact you to pay a fine via text message. If you receive one of these texts, report it straight away and help us to prevent more people from unnecessarily losing money to fraudsters. 

If we work together, we can help to tackle scams like these in Trafford and the wider region.”