Vizagites lose over Rs 30 lakh to fake traffic challan scam

Visakhapatnam: Cybercrooks are increasingly targeting people through fake traffic challan messages, using fear and urgency to steal money. These messages, sent via SMS or WhatsApp, look like official notices but lead to fraudulent payment pages.

Recently, people from parts of Vizag city lost over Rs 30 lakh after clicking on the fake traffic challan messages.In a recent incident, a 50-year-old man from Vizag city was duped after receiving a message (SMS) claiming a traffic challan on his two-wheeler of Rs 1,000 was pending. The message was sent to his phone from an unknown number and contained a payment link.Believing it genuine, the man clicked the link and attempted to pay the traffic challan.

After clicking the link, he received Amazon-related OTP messages and subsequently noticed two unauthorised transactions of Rs 65,000 and Rs 68,000 on his credit card, resulting in a loss of over 1.33 lakh. He immediately contacted the credit card customer care to block his card.Realising he had been cheated by the cybercrooks, the victim approached the cybercrime police in Vizag city seeking action against the fraudsters.

Vizag city police said more than 20 people from across Vizag city had lost over Rs 30 lakh to the cybercrooks for fake traffic challans in the past month.A senior police officer said an e-challan scam was a cyberattack that targeted people who received, or believed they received, a traffic violation ticket (e-challan) issued electronically. The scammers sent a link to motorists to pay the challan immediately. When people clicked the link, the hackers gained access to the victim’s mobile phone and looted the victim’s money.People need to refrain from downloading any APK files or clicking any links received via WhatsApp or SMS unless they are sent by a trusted acquaintance, the police said. Fraudsters often use tactics such as sending fake traffic violation notices to loot netizens, the police added.