Residents Warned About Scam Parking Fine Texts
Messages claiming to be from Ealing Council demand payment
The authority does not issue PCN payment requests by text message
December 23, 2025
Ealing Council has issued a warning to residents after a rise in reports of scam text messages demanding payment for bogus parking fines.
Residents across the borough have alerted the council to texts claiming they owe a £20 Penalty Charge Notice (PCN). The messages include a link that appears to mimic official council communications, but Ealing Council has confirmed it does not issue PCNs by text under any circumstances.
The authority is urging anyone who receives such a message to treat it with suspicion and report it by forwarding the text to 7726, a service that notifies mobile providers of potential spam so they can investigate and block the number.
The council has also reminded motorists that genuine PCNs issued by Ealing Council always begin with the prefixes “AO” or “EA”, and that residents can check any legitimate notices through the council’s online portal.
Councillor Paul Driscoll, cabinet member for climate action, said the festive period often leaves people more vulnerable to scams. “During this festive season we can be particularly busy and receive text messages or click on links without properly thinking about it,” he said. “We’re warning our residents to be vigilant and to treat text messages from a number they don’t recognise with suspicion. Ealing Council does not issue parking fines by text message so please be aware and report the message.”
The council is encouraging residents to remain cautious and to verify any unexpected communications before taking action.
Like Reading Articles Like This? Help Us Produce More This site remains committed to providing local community news and public interest journalism. Articles such as the one above are integral to what we do. We aim to feature as much as possible on local societies, charities based in the area, fundraising efforts by residents, community-based initiatives and even helping people find missing pets. We've always done that and won't be changing, in fact we'd like to do more. However, the readership that these stories generates is often below that needed to cover the cost of producing them. Our financial resources are limited and the local media environment is intensely competitive so there is a constraint on what we can do. We are therefore asking our readers to consider offering financial support to these efforts. Any money given will help support community and public interest news and the expansion of our coverage in this area. A suggested monthly payment is £8 but we would be grateful for any amount for instance if you think this site offers the equivalent value of a subscription to a daily printed newspaper you may wish to consider £20 per month. If neither of these amounts is suitable for you then contact info@neighbournet.com and we can set up an alternative. All payments are made through a secure web site. One-off donations are also appreciated. Choose The Amount You Wish To Contribute. If you do support us in this way we'd be interested to hear what kind of articles you would like to see more of on the site – send your suggestions to the editor. For businesses we offer the chance to be a corporate sponsor of community content on the site. For £30 plus VAT per month you will be the designated sponsor of at least one article a month with your logo appearing if supplied. If there is a specific community group or initiative you'd like to support we can make sure your sponsorship is featured on related content for a one off payment of £50 plus VAT. All payments are made through a secure web site. |