Motorists are being warned of scam parking fine text messages that threaten to ban you from driving if you don’t pay.
Not long after it was revealed that Manchester has topped the list of UK places where motorists are most likely to get a parking fine, the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) is now warning of a fake text messages currently circulating nationwide that threaten recipients with a series of frightening measures if they don’t pay.
The scam messages in question warn people that they have a ‘parking penalty charge’, and that if they do not pay on time, they might have to pay more or be taken to court.
It even threatens to ban people from driving if they don’t fork out the fine money.
⚠️We’re aware of people still receiving text messages on parking fine claiming to be from DVSA.
This is a scam. Find out what to do if you received this text message at 👇 https://t.co/mKShfEw5Oc
The initial text message sent out by the scammers pretending to be the DVSA reads: “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 haeve to pay more, or you could be taken to court.
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“Please enter your license plate in the link after reading the information, Check and pay parcking penatly charge. Thank you again for your copperation. Dvsa.”
Recipients of the texts have noted that there are several spelling mistakes included in the copy, including ‘haeve’, ‘parcking’, and ‘copperation’, all of which indicate that the message isn’t from a genuine Government source.
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The DVSA is warning of scam parking fine text messages that threaten to ‘ban you from driving’ / Credit: PublicDomainPictures | IPTC (Ronald Hudson)
Follow-up reminder scam messages have also been sent to some phones as well, which claim: “Today is the last day to pay your ticket due to your long term delinquency” and “if you do not pay your ticket on time, you may be required to pay more in the future and we reserve the right to prosecute you”.
Another follow-up message also threatens to “ban your car from driving on the road starting tomorrow” and fake notification that authorities will “transfer your parking ticket to the court”.
The DVSA wants motorists to know it does not issue or deal with parking fines.
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If you’ve received one of these scam text messages, you are encouraged to report it to the National Cyber Security Centre here, and if you think you’ve been tricked into sharing personal information with a scammer, don’t worry, as you can take immediate steps to protect yourself.
Find out what to do if you think you’ve been scammed here.
Featured Image – Samuel Regan-Asante (via Unsplash)
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NHS launches new AI and robot cancer detection pilot offering ‘glimpse into future’
Emily Sergeant
The NHS has launched a ‘trailblazing’ new AI and robot pilot to help spot cancers sooner.
Patients who are facing suspected lung cancer could get answers sooner under the new pilot that makes use of artificial intelligence (AI) and robotic technology to help doctors reach hard-to-detect cancers earlier, and all without with fewer tests too.
At the moment, patients are faced with weeks of repeat scans and procedures to come to a diagnosis.
But this could soon be replaced with a single, half-hour cancer biopsy – reducing prolonged uncertainty, and avoiding more invasive surgery.
According to the NHS, the new approach uses AI software to rapidly analyse lung scans and flag small lumps that are most likely to be cancerous, before a robotic camera is then used to guide biopsy tools through the airways with much greater precision than standard techniques.
A new NHS pilot using AI and robotic technology will help doctors reach hard-to-detect lung cancers earlier.
Weeks of scans and procedures could be replaced with a single biopsy, reducing uncertainty and avoiding more invasive surgery.
The robot can reach nodules as small as 6mm – which is around the size of a grain of rice – that are hidden deep in the lung and are often deemed too risky or difficult to access using existing methods, and once AI has highlighted higher-risk areas, doctors can then take a precise tissue sample, which is sent to specialist laboratories and reviewed by expert cancer teams to confirm or rule out cancer.
The NHS’s top cancer doctor hailed the pilot – which is currently being carried out at Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust – as ‘a glimpse of the future of cancer detection’.
“Waiting to find out if you might have cancer is incredibly stressful for patients and their families,” admitted Professor Peter Johnson, who is NHS England’s National Clinical Director for Cancer.
The NHS has launched a new AI and robot cancer detection pilot that’s offering a ‘glimpse into future’ / Credit: rawpixel
“Our lung cancer screening programme means that we are picking up more cancers at an early stage than ever, and by bringing AI and robotics together in this trailblazing NHS pilot, we’re bringing in the very latest technology to give clinicians a clearer look inside the lungs and support faster, more accurate biopsies.
“This is a glimpse of the future of cancer detection.
“Innovation like this is exactly how we can help diagnose more cancers faster, so treatment can be most effective, and why the NHS continues to lead the way in bringing new technology safely into frontline care.”
If successful, the pilot will help the NHS to generate evidence to develop a national commissioning policy for robotic bronchoscopy.
It will also support more consistent access to the technology across the NHS in future.
Featured Image – Tima Miroshnichenko (via Pexels)
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Chester Zoo announces new spring date for its popular running event to help UK wildlife
Emily Sergeant
Chester Zoo has announced that its popular Run For Nature is back again this year, and this time, there’s a new spring edition.
The UK’s biggest charity zoo seen success with this event in the past few years, with thousands of runners signing up for one of the North West’s most unique athletic experiences and all funds raised going towards efforts to protect highly-endangered giraffes in Africa.
This year though, the much-loved event’s focus brings conservation ‘a little closer to home’ and will protect some of the UK’s most threatened species instead – with all funds helping to safeguard hedgehogs, kingfishers, otters, harvest mice, and more.
It comes as the UK is currently considered one of the most nature-depleted countries on Earth.
Participants will first get to wind through the zoo and enjoy glimpses of elephants, lemurs, and other incredible species along the way, before heading out into the picturesque Cheshire countryside.
Adults can choose from a 10K or 5K route, while younger runners are invited to take part in a one-mile ‘Zoom’ race, open to children aged four-15, which takes place entirely within the zoo’s incredible 130-acre grounds.
All runners will receive free entry to the zoo for the rest of the day as part of their registration, along with a 25% discount for friends and family who come along to show support.
Chester Zoo’s popular 10K charity run is returns with a new spring date / Credit: Chester Zoo
Lorraine Jubb, who is the Fundraising Lead at Chester Zoo, called the Run For Nature a ‘really special event’.
“In previous years, runners have already supported conservation efforts for Asian elephants, Eastern black rhinos and Northern giraffe,” she explained. This springtime though, we’re turning our attention much closer to home in the UK, and to the wildlife we share our gardens, parks and countryside with.
“With one in six species now at risk of extinction in the UK, every runner will be playing a vital role in helping us protect animals and supporting our growing nature recovery work across right across Cheshire.
Emily Sergeant -
26th September 2024 
