Parking app scams: drivers tricked into signing up for expensive subscriptions

Rogue advertisers are hijacking promotions for parking apps and using QR codes to trick victims

We're concerned that consumers are being targeted with misleading adverts designed to sneakily sign them up for pricey subscriptions. 

Here, we investigate how these scams work and offer advice on spotting and reporting them. 

Parking app scam warning 

We recently received a warning about a website called Alltainment from a member of the public.

‘I tried to sign up for a parking app and instead was directed to a site which took my card details and signed me up to pay £39.99 a month, nominally for an entertainment package. This seems to have caught quite a few people out, according to Trustpilot. I think they are using the name of a defunct company,' they told us. 

All but one review for this website on Trustpilot is one star, and while some people said they have no idea how they ended up paying a subscription to Alltainment, a closer look at the complaints reveals that this rogue firm seems to be targeting the public in two key ways.

Parking apps: QR codes: 

What is 'Alltainment'?

The Alltainment website was created less than a year ago, in November 2022. 

It currently has no contact details or company information but previously listed its company name as Allariz Management Ltd, based in Nicosia, Cyprus – a name associated with many other digital streaming subscriptions online. 

Trustpilot reviews for Alltainment date from 30 June 2023 onwards, suggesting it has only recently started operating in the UK.

Following the parking app scam journey

We wanted to better understand how Alltainment operates and it quickly became clear how easily people could be caught out.

First, we searched for a legitimate parking app called JustPark on Google and found that the top result was taken out by a website called uk.apkpac[dot]com, which promotes apps and games. 

This webpage appears to feature a promotion for the JustPark app, but it actually hosts a series of 'clickable' adverts for Alltainment, which seem to be designed and placed in such a way that someone would easily assume they were linked, as you can see from the screenshot below.

We believe the Alltainment adverts are hoping to trick people into thinking they are signing up for a different service (in this case JustPark), not a monthly subscription of £39.99. 

When we checked again, we saw other adverts on the same webpage that could be misleading including one for 'Fine10' that linked to a website called flirtymeetings – company name Automation Programs Solutions Ltd. This site charges a £1.25 'profile setup fee' then an eye-watering £46.75 per month if you don’t cancel after a one-day trial.

You can see screenshots of the uk.apkpac Google advert and the Flirtymeetings advert below. 

JustPark urges victims to report scams

JustPark confirmed that the uk.apkpac is not affiliated with it in any way. 

It also told us it has no association with Flirtymeetings (Automation Programs Solutions Ltd) or Alltainment (Allariz Management Ltd) and both advertisers have already been reported for product misrepresentation, scamming and copyright infringement to the relevant advertising platforms.

A spokesperson for JustPark said: 'We value and prioritise protecting our customers’ safety, and only operate through official channels to bring a secure experience to all users. For access to the official JustPark app and website, UK customers can visit the Apple App Store or the Android Play Store, or visit www.justpark.com. Promotional materials and digital advertisements posing as JustPark or as a JustPark vendor are fraudulent and should be reported to the relevant advertising platform.'

Which? contacted Alltainment and Flirtymeetings, putting it to both advertisers that they are intentionally deceiving the public to take unauthorised payments, but didn't receive a response.

We also contacted uk.apkpac[dot]com about the Google advert it took out and its potential links to rogue advertising but again, didn't hear back.  

How to report rogue advertising and scams

It is against Google's rules for advertisers to impersonate brands or businesses, or use techniques such as cloaking to circumvent its systems.

We flagged these misleading adverts to Google, which has since taken action against the advertisers. A spokesperson said: 'We have strict ads policies that govern the types of ads and advertisers we allow on our platforms. We enforce our policies vigorously, and if we find ads that are in violation we remove them. We invest significant resources to stop bad actors and we are constantly evaluating and updating our policies and improving our technology to keep our users safe.'

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source https://www.which.co.uk/news/article/parking-app-scams-drivers-tricked-into-signing-up-for-expensive-subscriptions-aaJ8f0a3xRYk