Lincolnshire County Council (LCC) is advising the public to ignore any text messages concerning parking fines. The council has identified a scam in which individuals are pressured to pay fines or face prosecution.

LCC has stated that these texts are fraudulent and confirmed that the council will not issue parking penalty charge notices (PCNs) via text message. Parking charges should only be settled using the details provided on the official notices.

The fraudulent messages often threaten increased charges, prosecution, and court fees if payment is not made within 28 days.

Matt Jones, the council’s Parking Manager, commented: “This scam aims to extract money from individuals, regardless of whether they have received a legitimate PCN.

“If you receive such a text message, please take a screenshot, including the sender’s phone number, and report it to Action Fraud as soon as possible,” he advised.