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Kerala / The New Indian Express

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Fake traffic e-challan scam hoodwinks unsuspecting vehicle owners in Kerala

KOZHIKODE: The message came at 7:45pm on a weekday. Kozhikode native Preetha Shivan, who had just returned home from work, glanced at her phone and froze. Your traffic violation fine hasnt been paid. Please settle it at once to avoid extra charges or legal action, dont wait for consequences! read the SMS. Worried she may have unknowingly violated a rule, Preetha clicked the link attached, and provided her account details. Within minutes, Rs 1,000 was debited, not by the Motor Vehicles Department, but a scammer operating from a private number she never thought to verify. I thought it was real because the page looked exactly like the governments challan site, Preetha recalls. The amount was not too high, so I paid it quickly. Only later did I realise I had been cheated. Her story is becoming frighteningly common in Kerala, which is witnessing an alarming rise in cyber fraud, from fake profiles of district collectors to calls from impostors posing as cyber police. Now, a new scam is gaining ground: fake traffic violation penalty alerts, sent via SMS or WhatsApp. The message appears routine, much like the official e-challan notification many vehicle owners are familiar with. However, hidden beneath is a meticulously-built trap. When recipients click the link, they are taken to a webpage mirroring the official e-challan portal. The colours, fonts, wording and layout bear a striking resemblance to the genuine Digital Traffic/Transport Enforcement Solution page. Users are prompted to enter their vehicle number and driving licence details. The website then generates a convincing overspeeding alert and directs them to pay online. In several cases, the payment is small, Rs 500 to Rs 2,000, making it easier for victims to fall for it. Social media influencer Nikhil S, who has a substantial following in Kerala, was one of the early victims who decided to speak up. I clicked the link as the entire page looked genuine. Even the fonts were the same as the real government site, he said. Only when I looked closely at the message later did I realise it was a private number not an official department sender ID. Nikhil immediately took to social media to warn others, and his posts were widely shared across Kerala. People think only the careless fall for the cyber scams. Thats not true. These pages are designed so cleverly that anyone can fall for them, he added. If my experience can save even one person from losing money, its worth sharing. His post prompted several others to share similar experiences. Cyber officers in Kerala say they have received numerous complaints, though the exact number of victims is unknown as many simply write off small losses. The officials say no government department sends link-based challan payment messages. All genuine traffic fines in Kerala must be checked either through the MoRTH portal or the official Kerala Police e-challan platform. Scammers are exploiting fear and urgency, a senior cyber cell officer explains. The moment people see the words penalty or legal action, they click without thinking. That is exactly what the criminals want, said an official.

2 Dec 2025 7:11 am