WYRE Forest District Council has issued a warning over a QR code reader scam after car park customers fell victim to it.

The local authority has said four people scanned a code at a council car park ticket machine which led them to an unknown site, not related to paying for parking.

They were using a third-party QR code reader rather than their phone cameras to scan the code, according to the council.

Council officers have checked the ticket machines across the district and have said they are working correctly.

They have advised residents to download the MiPermit app from their phone's app store.

Councillor Ben Brookes, Wyre Forest District Council’s cabinet member for operational services said: “The council has received calls from four customers saying they’ve scanned a QR code in one of our car parks and it has led them to websites not related to paying for parking.

"We understand that in each of these cases the customer has used a third party QR code reader rather than the camera on their phone to scan the code and that it is the QR code reader app rather than the QR code displayed which has led them to a different website.

"Our officers have inspected and tested all QR codes on our ticket machines and they are working correctly and have not been tampered with. They will continue to check them.

"We would advise customers to download the MiPermit app from their official app store. As well as using the app, drivers can pay for parking using cash in all of our car parks and there is also the option to call to pay.”