Warning to drivers as man falls victim to 'scam' while paying to park

MiPermit is the company Wiltshire Council uses to allow people to download an app and pay for parking without using cash.

While the service has been praised by some for its convenience when it works, others have lost trust after being deceived by websites purporting to be MiPermit.

Steve Hathaway was trying to pay to park in Salt Lane car park on Monday, January 15, while on his way to a chiropractor appointment.

The Salisbury man said he searched for MiPermit online and entered his card details paying for what he thought was a stint of parking.

Drivers can pay using MiPermit to park in Salt Lane car park. (Image: Google Maps)

Mr Hathaway was charged £2.85 but the transaction was requested by a company name he did not recognise and a direct debit of £29.95 was set up using his card details.

He had been signed up to a membership with 'infinitelycontent.com' which he said could only be cancelled by sending a postal letter to Cyprus within three days.

"You realise it isn't right when you've done it. My worry is all the other people trying to pay for parking," Mr Hathaway said.

When searching for MiPermit on Google, advertised websites full of phishing links posing as the company sometimes show above the legitimate website.

Websites advertised about MiPermit on Google are filled with links. (Image: Newsquest)

Councillor Caroline Thomas, Wiltshire Council's cabinet member for transport, said she is working with MiPermit to get the adverts removed.

She added: “It is concerning that scam adverts purporting to be the MiPermit website are appearing in the web search advert section above the legitimate link for the MiPermit website.

"MiPermit is used by many councils across the country, and like other councils, we are working with MiPermit to report these adverts and request they are removed when identified."

Cllr Thomas said this is a common problem for well-used websites and recommended people use the official MiPermit website and "exercise caution" when visiting websites in the advert section.

A similar situation occurred in August 2022 when Amesbury resident Carolyn Robinson claimed she was scammed when trying to pay to park in the town's central car park.

Read more: ​Alleged scam victim conned when paying for Amesbury parking

Mr Hathaway said the solution to avoid these scams is to have Wiltshire Council install "idiot-proof" credit card machines in car parks.

MiPermit was contacted and asked for a comment.