TL;DR: UK police don’t send speeding fines by text, and councils issue Penalty Charge Notices on your windscreen or by post. Yet scam texts keep claiming a speed camera caught you (Which?, September 30, 2026), or that a ParkingEye or RingGo payment didn’t go through. They link to copycat sites that take your card details. Delete, report to 7726, and check any real fine against the paper letter.
The three texts doing the rounds
Which? has logged all three versions in its scam alerts this year:
- Speed camera text (Sept 30, 2026): sent from a spoofed number, it says a speed camera caught you and links to a copycat government website, urging you to “respond quickly.”
- ParkingEye text (Aug 12, 2026): says your parking payment wasn’t received and links to a payment page.
- RingGo text (July 14, 2026): says a parking payment is outstanding and links to a fake site with “ringgo” in the address.
They work because almost every driver has a nagging doubt. Was I doing 34 in that 30? Did the app actually take the payment? Scammers sell that doubt back to you for the price of your card details.
How real fines arrive
Speeding. Speeding tickets come from the police, by post to the registered keeper of the vehicle, or are given at the roadside with a letter to follow. As Medway Council put it when warning residents, the police will never contact you about a speeding ticket by text.
Council parking fines (PCNs). Penalty Charge Notices are placed on your windscreen or sent by post. Not by text.
Private car park charges. Firms like ParkingEye send a Parking Charge Notice by post to the registered keeper. Apps like RingGo show your sessions and any problems inside the app itself.
So the rule is simple: a fine that only exists as a text message doesn’t exist.
Spot the fake
- The link isn’t a gov.uk address, or it is a lookalike such as “gov-uk-fines.com”.
- There’s a deadline measured in hours, with a threat of court or a bigger fine.
- It asks for your full card details, often for a small amount like £3.50 or £35. Small amounts feel safe to pay. They are the hook, not the goal.
- It doesn’t show your registration number, or shows one that isn’t yours.
If you clicked or paid
- Call your bank on the number on your card, or dial 159, and block the card.
- Expect a follow-up call from your “bank’s fraud team.” It’s often the same scammers, now armed with your card details. Hang up and call the bank yourself.
- Report the text by forwarding it to 7726, and report losses to Report Fraud.
- If you entered your address and date of birth too, read what to do about identity theft in the UK.
Councils keep warning about this
Councils across England have issued their own alerts. In June 2026, Wandsworth Council told residents: "We will never send a text message asking you to pay a PCN." Its advice: don’t pay or share bank details, delete the text, and tell the council so it can track new scams. If you’re unsure whether a real PCN exists, go to your council’s own website (search for it yourself) and look it up using the PCN number on the paper notice.
The other motoring texts and emails from 2026
Which? has logged a steady stream of driver-targeted fakes this year:
| Date | Pretends to be | The claim |
|---|---|---|
| 26 May | DVLA (email) | Driving licence details are out of date; fines of up to £1,000 |
| 14 July | RingGo (text) | A parking payment "remains outstanding" |
| 12 August | ParkingEye (text) | Payment not received; pay now or face extra charges |
| 19 August | DVLA (email) | Vehicle tax renewal incomplete and expired; fines of up to £1,000 |
| 30 September | Speed camera (text) | You were caught speeding; links to a copycat government site |
The pattern never changes: an official-sounding body, a penalty, a deadline and a link. The DVLA versions arrive by email rather than text, so forward those to report@phishing.gov.uk. Report fake websites to the NCSC through the GOV.UK reporting page.
Related motoring scams
DVLA, “vehicle tax failed” and congestion charge texts use the same playbook. See our guide to DVLA scams. The US version of this trick, unpaid toll texts, is covered in E-ZPass toll text scams.
Why you got the text
Scammers send these to huge lists of numbers bought from breaches. Your number being on a list doesn’t mean you did anything wrong. A free email exposure check shows if your details are in known breaches, which is often how these lists get built.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do UK police send speeding fines by text?
No. Speeding tickets are sent by post to the registered keeper or given at the roadside with a follow-up letter.
Can a council send a parking PCN by text?
No. Council PCNs are put on your windscreen or sent by post.
I paid a small amount on a fake fine site. What now?
Call your bank or 159 immediately to block your card. Small payments are often used to steal full card details.
Will the DVLA email me about fines?
Which? logged fake DVLA emails in May and August 2026 threatening fines of up to £1,000. Don’t click; forward them to report@phishing.gov.uk and check your details on GOV.UK directly.
Where do I report a fake fine text?
Forward it to 7726 and report any loss to Report Fraud.
Sources
- Which?: The latest scam alerts (speed camera, ParkingEye and RingGo texts)
- Medway Council: Speeding ticket scam text alert
- Report Fraud (UK)
- Wandsworth Council: Parking scam text message warning (Jun 2026)