Fake traffic fine messages cost Bengaluru techie ₹2.3 lakh

Cybercrime police register cases after two Bengaluru residents lose over ₹5 lakh to fraudulent traffic challan links sent through messages.

A fake traffic fine scam has left two Bengaluru residents with losses running into lakhs, prompting cybercrime police to issue a fresh warning to the public. In one incident, a 57-year-old tech professional from the Whitefield area lost ₹2.3 lakh after responding to a fraudulent message claiming a pending traffic challan.

According to the complaint filed with the Whitefield cybercrime police, the incident occurred on January 26. The victim received messages from unknown mobile numbers stating that a traffic fine was due. The message carried a web link for immediate payment. Assuming it to be genuine, the victim clicked on the link and attempted to pay ₹500. During this process, fraudsters allegedly accessed his credit card details. Soon after, ₹2,32,272.14 was unauthorisedly debited from his credit card account and transferred to unknown recipients. A case has been registered and an investigation is underway.

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In a similar incident reported the following day, a 53-year-old resident of Uttarahalli was cheated of ₹3.03 lakh using the same modus operandi. The victim lodged a complaint with the South Division cybercrime police after noticing unauthorised transactions following a fake traffic fine message.

Police have reiterated that traffic challans must be verified only through official government portals. Citizens have been advised not to click on suspicious links received via SMS or messaging platforms and to report such messages immediately to cybercrime authorities.