Les used a QR code to download a parking app - but it was a scam

When Les Howard could not find change for parking during a trip to the coast, a quick response (QR) code on the meter seemed to be the answer.

But the next day, the 61-year-old realised he had become the victim of an increasingly common scam as criminals started taking money from his bank account in £60 chunks.

Reports of QR code-related scams have gone up by 700% in the past four years, figures by Report Fraud have revealed.

Experts say criminals are finding different ways to exploit the codes as they become a common part of everyday life.

This could be disguising suspicious links in emails, gaining access to victims' messaging apps or convincing people who are out and about to download fraudulent apps to steal their money and data.

That is what happened to Howard, from Widnes, who was visiting Caernarfon in North Wales with his wife.

"We went to the car park where we normally go," Howard told the BBC Scam Secrets podcast.

"I normally have change in the car to pay for the parking, but this time I didn't.