3 major driving scams to be on the lookout for in 2025

Driving is generally a big part of everyday life, whether you’re driving your own car, or you’ve decided to hire a car or van to make life easier out on the roads. However, the thing about everyday life is that it’s full of routine – and the sad thing is that routines can sometimes be vulnerable to people with more malicious intentions.

So, in the spirit of helping you avoid getting caught out this year, here at Intack Self Drive we’ve rounded up three of the biggest scams to watch out for – and how you can avoid getting caught out, whether you’re driving your own vehicle or one of ours!

Parking scam texts

These arrived late last year, in around October, and they’ve started to become a lot more prevalent in the months since then. The typical text that most recipients have seen goes something like this.

“Dvsa notice for you: You have a parking penalty charge due on 2024/9/30. If you do not pay your fine on time, your car may be banned from driving, you might have to pay more, or you could be taken to court.”

They’re classic scam tactics, all designed to create a sense of fear and urgency, and panic you into action without properly thinking about it. It can be particularly unnerving if you were driving a hire vehicle (for example, one of ours) at the time. They may also follow it up with increasingly more urgent texts with even more dire threats, to panic you into making a payment.

How to avoid getting caught out

Most of us are fairly well-versed in random texts coming through to our phones, but it’s still very easy to make a mistake – and even though most people only make it once, the consequences can still be an utter nightmare. So, here’s a (non-exhaustive) roundup of the telltale signs of a scam text:

• The DVSA does not issue (or deal with) parking fines. Nor does the DVLA, or Department for Transport, or similar entities.
• Grammatical errors – the real DVSA would always capitalise its name.
• Spelling errors – one is potentially plausible, but more than that is unheard of.
• Americanisms – such as the usage of a US date format.
• Private phone numbers – if it’s been sent from a private phone number, it’s probably a burner phone.
• Deadlines – scammers give you razor-thin deadlines to panic you into payments. Legitimate organisations give you multiple warnings and weeks (at least) to make a payment.

QR Code scams, or “quishing”

This is one we’ve covered quite recently on our blog here at Intack Self Drive, and it’s one to be aware of if you’re parking in unfamiliar towns. QR codes have been an increasingly prevalent way for paying car park charges ever since the pandemic, when the world as a whole tended to get a lot more cautious about pressing buttons and generally just touching stuff.

Unfortunately, that’s given rise to a new method of scamming unsuspecting drivers. It’s a version of the classic phishing scam, but with QR codes (hence, “quishing”). This involves scammers using stickers or flyers with fraudulent QR codes, often covering legitimate codes or even going as far as to put them directly on drivers’ windscreens.

How to avoid getting caught out

Again, the full blog goes into a little more detail, but here’s a brief roundup.

• Inspect the source of the QR code. If it looks in any way out of place (for example, a sticker), it may well be fraudulent – treat it with caution.
• Keep your devices and payment apps secure. Always ensure your smartphone and any payment apps are up-to-date with the latest software and security patches.
• When in doubt, pay with cash. Worst comes to worst, you might lose a few quid in the cost of the parking – but nobody will have access to your accounts.

Crash for Cash scams

This one isn’t a new problem, but it’s still an enormous problem for drivers across the UK. Crash for Cash scams involve fraudsters deliberately causing accidents or staging collisions to claim compensation from unsuspecting motorists. These scams can range from sudden, unnecessary braking to make you rear-end them, to fake witnesses and exaggerated injury claims.

There are various different versions, but by far the most common involves scammers slamming on their brakes for no reason, so that the car behind (you) goes into the back of them.

How to avoid getting caught out

It’s difficult to avoid a Crash for Cash scam entirely, but there are some key things you can do to protect yourself:

• Leave appropriate emergency braking distance. It’s an obvious one, but if you treat every car in front of you (at all times) like they could emergency-brake at any moment, it’s much more difficult to catch you out.
• Watch out for erratic drivers. Scammers often try and pick their targets, and can betray their intentions by slowing down or hesitating unnecessarily.
• Question suspicious behaviour. If you’ve been in a collision, never admit fault at the scene (even if you’re almost certain you’re in the wrong) and do not hand over any personal or financial details. Some scammers will try and persuade you to give them money at the roadside, when your adrenaline is up and it’s much harder to do any critical thinking.
• Report it. If you suspect you’ve been targeted, report it to your insurer and the police as soon as possible. Again, this is particularly important if another driver tries to persuade you not to.It’s also worth remembering that it’s a legal obligation, and your insurer could cancel your insurance if you don’t. So don’t let anyone try and persuade you otherwise!

As with so many other scams, fraudsters rely on panic and confusion to get away with Crash for Cash scams. Staying aware and prepared can help you avoid becoming their next victim.

Sometimes, having that extra bit of knowledge can go a long way towards helping you with that peace of mind - and our staff know that better than anyone here at Intack Self Drive. If you ever get into a tricky situation (or something that feels like one) with one of our cars or vans, don’t hesitate to give us a call – we’ll always be happy to provide as much advice as we can.

And of course, if you ever have any more general questions about car hire or van hire, we can answer those too! Our fleet has more than 500 vehicles to choose from, including cars, vans and minibuses – so whatever you need, we've got you covered! We offer both daily hire and weekly hire options, and if you’re not quite sure how long you’ll need the car, don’t worry! Our flexi hire gives you the freedom and flexibility to choose what works best for you.