Police said scammers have meticulously copied the format used by traffic authorities
Government authorities and police are warning citizens about an e-challan scam targeting vehicle owners with SMSes that resemble text alerts for traffic challans.
How Does E-Challan Scam Work?
The scammers send a text message to your phone that closely remembers e-challan alerts. The messages have a payment link. One you click on it, your phone's security is compromised, and the hackers get access to your credit/debit card details. Before you know, you have been conned.
How To Avoid Getting Conned
According to police, scammers have meticulously copied the format used by traffic authorities. However, a close examination can help us spot the trap. The payment link in e-challans is https://echallan.parivahan.gov.in/. The scammers use links that read very similar, and a casual glance can miss the difference. https://echallan.parivahan.in/ is an example. An actual e-challan payment link will end with "gov.in".
More Ways To Spot The Scam
It is critical that you do not make such payments in a haste. According to senior cyber police officers, vehicle owners must check such messages carefully before clicking on any link. A key way to identify real messages is that they will have details of your vehicle, its engine number and chassis number. Such information will not be on SMS traps sent by scammers. Another precaution could be to visit the official government website to check if you have actually been fined. Also, an e-challan alert will never come from a cellphone number.
What To Do If You Are Conned
If scammers are successful in conning you, lose no time in informing the authorities. An immediate call to 1930 - National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal - and a timely complaint with www.cybercrime.gov.in can also help stop the transaction and save your hard-earned money. You must also contact your bank and alert them. The next step is to approach the nearest police station and register a complaint.