A routine mobile alert turned into a costly mistake for a software professional in Bengaluru, drawing attention to the rising number of online scams linked to digital traffic fine payments in major cities.
The incident took place on 26 January when the victim received an SMS claiming a traffic violation fine of ₹500 had been issued against him. The message included a link that appeared to lead to an official traffic payment page. Trusting the message, he clicked the link and attempted to pay the fine. Instead, the webpage asked for his credit card details and CVV number. Soon after submitting the information, ₹2.23 lakh was debited from his account and transferred to an unknown destination.
The victim realised the fraud when he received bank alerts for an amount far higher than the fine mentioned in the message. He immediately approached the Whitefield Cyber Crime Police Station and filed a complaint. Police have registered an FIR and launched a detailed investigation into the case. Initial findings suggest the fraud was executed through a phishing website designed to closely resemble official traffic payment portals, including similar logos, colours and layouts.
Investigators are now tracing the bank account that received the funds. Transaction details, server data and digital trails linked to the phishing link are being examined to identify those behind the scam and to check if it is part of a larger organised cybercrime network. Police said such cases are increasingly reported as fraudsters exploit public familiarity with online traffic enforcement systems and the routine use of SMS alerts for challan payments.
Authorities have urged citizens not to click on unsolicited SMS links, QR codes or files received from unknown numbers, even if they appear to come from government departments. Officials stressed that credit card details, passwords, OTPs and CVV numbers should never be shared through links sent via messages. For genuine challan payments in Karnataka, users should rely only on verified platforms such as the BTP Astra app, the Karnataka State Police app, the official Bengaluru Traffic Police website and the Karnataka One portal. Suspicious messages should be reported immediately through the cybercrime helpline 1930 or the online reporting portal.
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