Warning over parking app monopoly taking over the High Street: Drivers are told to look out for fake RingGo QR codes - as they hit out at 'very buggy' app they are being forced to use as councils replace cash meters

Nearly 20million drivers are being warned that scammers are exploiting RingGo with fake QR codes as the controversial parking app increases its stranglehold over car parks across the country. 

RingGo operates across 17,000 locations around the UK, has 19million users and processes 30 per cent of all council parking fees - but critics claim it 'terrible' and 'very buggy'. 

Many motorists point to wider issues with parking apps in general, arguing they are unfair to those who do not use smartphones - particularly the elderly - and are difficult to operate in areas with little or no mobile phone signal.  

Drivers' confusion about how to pay for parking has been exploited by scammers, who have been putting up fake QR codes on RingGo signs in order to steal customers' details. 

Smartphone parking apps have replaced cash payment meters at many council car parks, with drivers required to download them before paying their fee using a credit or debit card.

However, drivers in Tynemouth, North Tyneside complained yesterday about being slapped with unexpected charges, while others said they were refusing to download parking apps altogether. 

Kayleigh Scott, 34, a staff nurse, said her father struggles to use RingGo and would find it difficult to park if she wasn't there to help him. 

She told MailOnline: 'It can be really difficult for the older generation to use parking apps. A lot of them don't have a smartphone and can't download the app.

'I have to help my dad with the parking app and he would struggle without assistance. They can make it difficult to pay if you don't have signal as you can't load the app, or sometimes it won't let you load the location.

'Then they give you a reminder of when your parking is coming to an end but if you miss the notification or your signal is patchy you can end up with a fine as you can't extend it.'

Ms Scott complained it was very hard to get in touch with anyone for help if there was an issue, leading to 'hours' on the phone. 

Her father Mark Scott, a retired delivery driver, 58, added: 'I don't have a clue about these apps. I find them hard to use.

'I suffer from memory loss and can't always remember my licence plate. Sometimes it doesn't match up with the app and I get a fine.

'They installed apps in Seaham, County Durham and it caused a mess. The elderly couldn't use the apps and lots of local businesses suffered as a result.'

Local authorities were expected to reap £1.8billion in fees from on and off-street parking in 2023, generating £923m in profits, according to the RAC.

Parking machines cost money to run and are regularly targeted by thieves, and the driving organisation found a fifth of councils are planning to scrap them in favour of paying by smartphone.

But more than four in five say they prefer using cash or contactless cards to pay for parking rather than having to use their smartphone, an Autocar survey revealed earlier this year. 

RingGo insists it recognises that some motorists prefer not to use an app so also provides SMS and phone line payment options. 

Retired salesman Martin Copson warned the rollout of apps would lead to older people giving up on visiting the High Street. 

The 79-year-old, of Melton Mowbray, Leicestershire, said: 'It's a generational thing, you are never going to convince the older generation to install an app for parking.

'If older people were forced to use an app they wouldn't go out or park on the high street, which would lead to a decline.

'There's a town that we go to and you either have to use an app or you get one hour free parking so people will nip in for their essentials and not browse other stores. It's seen a major decline in footfall because of the parking.

'You can't beat cash. I just don't use the apps as I would be wary of scammers, especially if they are sticking fake QR codes up. I've been scammed before over the phone. It's very easy to fall for it.'

A poll commissioned by the Mail last year found more than half of over-65s do not feel like using parking apps such as RingGo and PayByPhone. 

And four in ten respondents of all ages said they would be put off going to town centres that lacked parking meters.

Levelling Up Secretary Michael Gove wrote to council chiefs last year to tell them that high street parking should not be 'solely available for those who have access to a mobile phone'. 

Kirsty Owens, 44, an NHS worker from Washington, Tyne and Wear, said yesterday: 'The apps are excluding the older generation who don't have smartphones or even young people who may run out of data and then can't pay for parking.

'I think most people have smartphones now and I use the apps myself - although I paid with cash today.

'I've had problems with them before when I don't have signal and then I can't pay to park.

'Sometimes it asks me to change my password and the app won't load so you're desperately trying to pay in the middle of the car park which can be stressful. Thankfully, I don't know anyone who has been scammed by a parking app.'

Her concerns about the service offered by parking apps are widely shared.  

RingGo has an average Trustpilot rating of just 1.2 out of 5, a remarkably low score for the review site. 

One frustrated driver, Michael Kowalski, called the app 'terrible' and 'very buggy', while a second, John Carroll, said he spent three days trying to renew his residence parking permit in Brent, north London, before he phoned the local council for help.

Trustpilot contained numerous tales of woe from across the country, including Swale in Kent, Stratford-upon-Avon and Barnsley, where one user complained of the app trying to charge him £59.99 after he tried to park before a wedding.  

Drivers using the council-owned Jewellery Quarter multistorey in Birmingham had mixed reviews of RingGo yesterday.  

Katherine Campbell-Legg, 72, works as a part-time tutor at the School of Master Jewellers, said she found the app 'useful' but sometimes experienced difficulties. 

'There's the occasional time when you can't find the number or the app goes a little bit awry, but that could be due to the internet,' she told MailOnline. 

'It's really annoying because if you've got no cash you can't park. I have tried phoning the company but it's always a bit complex.

'I feel it is pretty discriminatory. If people don't want to do it that way, there's often no alternative.'

Ruth Oakenshaw, from Hull, said she was put off by driving into Birmingham because of the parking, calling the experience 'too stressful'. 

Councils who use RingGo, including East Sussex, Glasgow and Westminster, have all warned about instances of fake QR codes being up up around car parks.

While RingGo does not use QR codes, motoring campaigners warn councils' reliance on it and similar apps leaves drivers vulnerable to scams.  

Maria Grasso, 67, was tricked by a fake parking website advertised on a poster at Upper Warlingham railway station car park in Surrey.

The local parish councillor saw a sign saying she had to download an app to pay for parking. After visiting the company's website, she thought it looked legitimate so inputted her card details. 

Believing she had paid, she caught her train, but later received a text from a company called Mediacraze.com saying she had signed up for a media streaming service.

She tried to ring a number on the company's website to cancel but no one picked up - leading her to realise she had been scammed. 

Ms Grasso later found Trustpilot reviews where users said they had already tried to pay for parking only to find £29.000 was being removed from their bank accounts every month. She cancelled her debit card and reported the fraud to her bank. 

'I was really annoyed with myself for not checking the website more carefully,' she told The Times. 'Fortunately, I was quick enough to notice and stop it — but it could have been a lot worse.'

Ian Taylor, director of the Alliance of British Drivers consumer body, said the issue proved the need to 'stop being so reliant on apps'. 

A RingGo spokesman said: 'The last few years have seen a sharp rise in demand for cashless payments, and mobile payments are becoming the norm across many transport networks, shops and restaurants. 86% of Brits over the age of 65 rate their ability to use their smartphone as good (60%) or very good (26%) and It is expected that by 2025, 95% of the UK population will be smartphone users.

'Our customers' satisfaction is our top priority, and we continuously work to enhance our customer service; that is why we also accommodate motorists that still prefer not to use an app by offering SMS and phone line payment options at RingGo sites. 

'Parking terminals, which are owned and operated by the Local Authority or Private Operator, can also serve as a good option to pay for parking where they are available.

'Please remember that RingGo does not use QR codes on any signs that we issue to help drivers pay for parking. QR codes are a common tool for scams and fraud, and recent scams have involved false QR codes on pay-and-display machines.

'If you suspect you have found a scam QR code on a local pay-and-display machine, please register it to the council operating in the area so it can be flagged with the local authorities and removed. RingGo mobile app lets drivers park and pay via a secure, encrypted service. Drivers should always be careful when registering card details outside of the app, or if anyone approaches them in a car park.'