'Is this RingGo text a scam?'
Faye was Headline Money Consumer Money Journalist of 2023 and a Wincott Award finalist in 2025. She's been investigating scams for nearly a decade.
Dear Which?,
I’ve received a text claiming to be from the parking app RingGo.
It says there’s an unpaid parking balance linked to my car’s number plate, and that I’ll start to receive fines if I don’t pay within 24 hours.
It also warns that I’ll be blocked from using RingGo if I don’t pay – something which would make my life difficult because I do regularly use RingGo to pay for parking.
The text includes a link to enter my vehicle registration number and make a payment.
I haven’t missed any payments as far as I’m aware. How can I tell whether this is a scam or simply an error?
Faye Lipson, Which? senior researcher, says:
This is a scam and is perfectly pitched to catch people out, because so many of us have paid for parking using RingGo or a similar app at some stage.
The message sounds plausible unless you take the time to scrutinise the details (such as the slightly dodgy-looking link in the message). Lots of convincing versions of these parking fine text message scams have been circulating in recent months, with some leading you to very sneaky copycat websites.
Fraudsters bank on us all having busy lives and little time to spend analysing their claims.
The text message has clearly been sent out to huge numbers of us. We know this because we’ve had numerous reports of different versions of this text, and RingGo itself has warned of a ‘wave of fake messages targeting drivers by pretending to be from [us]’. It’s so concerned that it now displays a banner about the scam on its website.
These messages aim to trick you into sharing your payment details. There may also be an identity theft element, with fraudsters stealing personal information to buy goods and services in your name, or target you with further scams.
If you do have a RingGo account, it’s easy to check whether you have an outstanding balance. Avoid clicking on any links in messages and go straight to your RingGo app or enter myringgo.co.uk in your browser.
Do not reply to the message. Report it by forwarding it to 7726. Then delete it. Scam websites can be reported to the National Cyber Security Centre.
Anyone who shares personal or payment information via the link in such texts should contact their bank immediately and change all relevant passwords.
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