Pune City Traffic Police took to X (formerly Twitter) on Tuesday and warned citizens of a fake traffic challan scam.
According to the police, cybercriminals are sending fake traffic challans on WhatsApp posing as traffic police. "Don’t fall for fake traffic challans. Verify before you pay, only trust official links. Report scam on 1930 or http://cybercrime.gov.in," added the police.
What are the red flags?
According to the police, WhatsApp messages from unknown numbers, APK files named "Traffic Fine" or "RTO challan", payment requests from UPI IDs like @okaxis / @paytm, and links not ending with .gov.in or unrelated to parivahan.gov.in are red flags you must look for.
What precautions should one take?
The police have advised citizens not to click on unknown links or install unknown apps, not to pay via personal UPI handles, and to alert friends and family when they receive such a request.
How to report a scam?
In case you have been scammed, call 1930 or visit http://cybercrime.gov.in. You can also report on CHAKSHU (sancharsaathi.gov.in) or simply file an FIR at your nearest police station or cyber cell by giving evidence.
