New traffic e-challan fraud: Here's how to identify scam messages and avoid getting duped
Information Security Awareness (ISEA) by the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) has issued an advisory about a fake traffic e-challan scam in recent months which people should be aware of.
How does a traffic e-challan scam work?
The modus operandi of this type of scam is getting individuals to click on a malicious link for payment of traffic e-challan. To establish trust of the individual, the fraudulent message is drafted in such a way that it looks real. The fraudulent message will read something like this — «Your Challan No. is … for vehicle number… having challan amount as Rs 500. For online payment of e-challan visit https://echallanparivahan.in/ you can also contact RTO office for disposal of challan, Regards, RTO.»
Once you click on this payment link to pay for the e-challan you will end up paying the cyber criminals instead of the police in a bid to discharge the traffic e-challan.
How to avoid traffic e-challan scam
The fraudsters have meticulously copied the format used by traffic authorities. So, the message may look real at first glance. However, if you examine it closely, you can spot the trap.
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To spot whether an e-challan message is real or fake, look at these three things:
Firstly, if the vehicle number quoted is your vehicle number or not. Vehicle numbers can easily be verified by referring to the number plate of the vehicle or the smart card (blue book) issued by the Regional Transport Office (RTO).
Secondly, if the e-challan number is valid or not. The challan number can be verified by logging in to the e-challan website- https://echallan.parivahan.gov.in/index/accused-challan.
And thirdly
