Motorists in Oban are being warned to check parking payment instructions carefully after police discovered a fraudulent QR code sticker on a payment machine in the town.

Police Scotland is investigating the attempted fraud at Rockfield car park, where a QR code had been placed on a parking meter directing drivers away from the legitimate payment system.

Officers were alerted to the suspicious sticker on the afternoon of Friday 30 October 2026.

Anyone scanning the code was directed to an unrelated website where they could be asked to make a payment, potentially putting their financial details at risk.

The offending stickers have since been removed, and police enquiries are continuing to establish how they came to be placed on the machine and who was responsible.

There has been no confirmation from police that anyone lost money as a result of the attempted fraud.

The incident highlights the importance of checking that payment instructions displayed on public machines are genuine before entering any personal or banking information.

QR codes have become a familiar feature of everyday life, allowing people to access websites and payment services simply by scanning them with a mobile phone.

However, a fraudulent sticker can redirect an unsuspecting person to a website that has no connection with the organisation operating the service.

Drivers using public car parks are being encouraged to examine payment machines for signs of tampering and check website addresses carefully before proceeding with any transaction.

Anyone who encounters a suspicious payment link should avoid entering their details and report the matter to police.

Investigators are also appealing for information from anyone who may have witnessed unusual activity around the parking meters at Rockfield car park.

In particular, officers would like to hear from anyone who saw somebody interfering with payment instructions or placing stickers on the machines.

Anyone with information is asked to contact Police Scotland on 101, quoting reference CR/0490485/26.

The warning serves as a reminder that even something as routine as paying for parking deserves a moment of attention when a payment request leads to an unfamiliar website.