Is FASTag smartwatch scam possible? Here's all you need to know

A video went viral on social media on Saturday which claims that devices like smartwatches are being used to swipe the FASTag on vehicles, leading to a fraudulent deduction of money from prepaid wallets.

The video shows a kid with a smart watch on his wrist cleaning a car window. While cleaning, the kid appears to be scanning the FASTag sticker on the windscreen and siphoning out money from the driver's account.

However, the Centre has denied the possibility of any such scam. "This Video is #FAKE. Such transactions are not possible. Each Toll Plaza has a unique code," tweeted Press Information Bureau's (PIB) fact checking arm 'PIB Fact Check'.

The National Payment Corp of India (NPCI) also clarified that the FASTag ecosystem is built with several layers of security protocols, and payments are processed through an end-to-end secured network.

"No transactions can be executed through open internet connectivity," NPCI said in a statement. "No financial transactions can be initiated without all the pre-requisites," it added.

"FASTag transactions can only be initiated by the registered merchants, such as toll and parking plaza operators, which are on-boarded by NPCI only from the respective geo-locations and IP addresses registered with the acquirer banks", it further said.