The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) has warned people against fraud in the name of traffic e-challan. In the advisory issued by the ministry, it has been said that cyber fraudsters are cheating people by sending fake e-challans. If you also receive a traffic e-challan, then be careful! You too can become a victim of fraud. We are telling you how you can identify fake e-challan messages and avoid becoming a victim of fraud.
How is fraud happening through fake traffic e-challan?
Experts say that cyber fraudsters are sending fake e-challans to common people. After sending the challan, they call them and ask them to pay the challan for violating traffic rules. They send a scam link for payment of traffic e-challan and ask to click on it. Fraudsters are sending fake e-challan in this way. “Your challan number is for vehicle number… Challan amount is Rs 500. For online payment of e-challan visit https://echallanparivahan.in/ . You can also contact RTO office. Settlement of challan “Regards, RTO.”
Once you click on this payment link to pay the e-challan, the traffic e-challan gets paid to the cyber criminals instead of the police.
Don’t Fall for the Fake E-Challan Scam!”🚦🚗🛵
Your Safety is Your Responsibility.🪖#TrafficFines #FakeEChallan #India #staysafeonline #cybersecurity #g20india #g20summit #ssoindia #meity #mygovindia #Quad pic.twitter.com/kQ63xukrB9— Information Security Awareness (ISEA) by MeitY (@InfoSecAwa) August 28, 2023
How to avoid fake traffic e-challan scam?
The fraudsters have carefully copied the format used by traffic officials. Therefore, the message may seem genuine at first glance. However, if you examine it closely, you can easily spot the fraud. To find out whether an e-challan message is genuine or fake, look for these three things:
First of all , check your vehicle number. The vehicle number can be easily verified by referring to the vehicle number plate or smart card (blue book) issued by the Regional Transport Office (RTO).
Second , whether the e-challan number is valid or not. The challan number can be verified by logging into the e-challan website- https://echallan.parivahan.gov.in/index/accused-challan .
Third , the payment link in the fake message is https://echallanparivahan.in . Scammers use links that look exactly the same, and a simple glance can tell the difference. But keep in mind that the domain of government websites will always be ‘.gov.in’ like https://echallan.parivahan.gov.in/ . Therefore, click only those links on which gov. Have a domain.
