Motorists across the country could be at risk of being scammed with fake QR stickers being stuck onto parking machines.
An Irish road user lost a staggering €1,000 (£836) after being caught out by a major con at a cashless parking machine.
However, instead of paying the parking tariff, they lost hundreds of pounds in seconds after likely sharing personal information with fraudsters.
A video posted on social media site X showed the QR code with identical proportions had been placed directly over the real stamp.
In the clip, a woman was seen picking at the sticker and peeling it away in front of shocked onlookers.
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They said: “Oh my God. So then this is probably what happened to you."
Uploading the video to her profile, X user @lozzyloboz revealed the incident happened in the coastal town of Greystones, just 19 miles from Dublin.
The post read: “Be careful everyone, this happened in greystones. The lady's daughter was scammed out of €1000, using a QR code that she scanned to pay for parking.”
“I'd hate to see anyone get scammed like this. It's getting worse.”
Former Top Gear presenter Quentin Wilson weighed in on the issue as he suggested operators should be held responsible.
He commented: “This is happening far too often. Never use QR codes for parking. And what are parking providers doing to stop this fraud? Their machines, their land - surely responsibility to prevent this should be theirs.”
Stunned road users took to X to vent their frustration at the incident with many calling out cashless parking for the rise in incidents.
@MrPaulStott commented: “Never happened in the days you put coins in a machine, or when you handed the money to an old boy in a hut. Technology is not always good news.”
@Fisherfitz1 added: “Sorry now but Cash is king, it’s about time young people cop on and realise this, get [off] the phone and use cash.”
However, the incident is not the first in the UK as similar fake QR codes have popped up in Fylde, Leicester and Northumberland in recent months.
Car insurance specialists and breakdown experts at the RAC have recently warned the QR stickers have made “drivers more vulnerable to malicious scammers”
Head of roads policy, Simon Williams, previously added: “As if this quishing scam isn’t nasty enough, it can also lead to drivers being caught out twice if they don’t realise they haven’t paid for parking and end up getting a hefty fine from the council.”
Payzone issued a warning on its website urging road users to check machines thoroughly before making any transactions.
A full statememt read: "Payzone is aware of fraudulent activity relating to false QR Code stickers appearing on some pay and display parking meters in the Dublin and Wicklow area. False QR stickers have been overlaid on genuine QR codes which redirect to a fake payment website.
"Payzone has engaged with an IT company who has been successful in swiftly shutting down these fraudulent websites where we have been made aware of specific cases.
"Payzone has reported this issue to An Garda Síochána. We are removing any affected signage and have notified customers via our website and on social media channels to be vigilant of false QR codes on pay and display parking meters.
"Our customers' online safety and security is our highest priority and we urge all customers to remain vigilant when making payments.
"We advise all customers not to scan any QR codes on signage, and to only make payments on the official Payzone website domain, http://www.payzone.ie. Customers can also make payments through the official Payzone App, Parking Tag.
"If customers have been affected by this scam, we recommend that they contact their Bank immediately to cancel their card, email info@payzone.ie with details of the QR code and the URL (website) they were directed to so that we can continue to get these sites taken down. They should also report the incident to An Garda Síochána."