A POTENTIAL scam involving parking payment machines has been identified by car park users on the Isle of Wight.

The Isle of Wight Council say a number of council car park users have reported an issue when calling the number attributed to PayByPhone, displayed on parking payment machines.

The number allows users to enter their bank card details, before cutting the call.

Worryingly, users then noticed unauthorised bank transactions of various amounts later that day.

"We have made PayByPhone aware of the situation and have advised our civil enforcement officers, who will be checking all machines vigilantly this weekend," said an Isle of Wight Council spokesperson.

These incidents follow a similar payment scam in April, when a number of Islanders fell victim to fake QR stickers on car park machines, which left them out of pocket.

Regarding the latest scam, the Isle of Wight Council has issued the following reminders and advice:

  • Please use the PayByPhone app in the short term.
  • Council car park machines do not use QR codes for payment.
  • Report any potential scam activity to trading.standards@iow.gov.uk