Residents are being warned to be on their guard against criminals using fraudulent QR codes to carry out scams.
Across the UK, there has been a recent rise in so-called ‘quishing’ scams where fraudulent QR codes are used. Contactless payment hotspots, such as parking meters, have been targeted by criminals who stick their own QR codes on signage.
A member of the public has advised that they recently fell victim to such a scam when they used a QR code that had been attached to a pay and display parking machine at Longniddry Bents. East Lothian Council pay and display machines do not use QR codes.
An East Lothian Council spokesperson said: “After the matter was reported to the council, the red sticker featuring a dragon logo along with a QR code was removed from the machine. Further checks were carried out at the other parking meters across East Lothian and no similar stickers were found.
“The council does not use QR codes on any parking signs or pay and display parking machines. Safe payments can be made by card or cash, or by downloading the Ringgo app.
"We do use official QR codes on our electric vehicle charging points. These are clearly marked with both council branding and the operator’s branding as is the subsequent website that people will access to pay for their charging. We are unaware of any instances where a QR code on an EV charger in the county has been interfered with.”
“If anyone has used a scam QR code they should contact Police Scotland and their bank.”