The National Transport and Safety Authority (NTSA) has warned motorists about fraudulent SMS messages falsely claiming that recipients have outstanding traffic violation fines that must be paid through a provided link.
In a notice on Thursday, December 18, NTSA said the messages are intended to mislead motorists into making payments on an unofficial platform.
NTSA clarified that the website mentioned in the fraudulent messages has no connection to the authority and should not be trusted.
“We have received reports of fraudsters sending SMS messages to members of the public, urging them to pay alleged traffic violation fines through a specified link by a deadline. Please be informed that the website mentioned in these messages (ntsca.cc) is not affiliated with or operated by NTSA,” the notice read.
NTSA also issued guidance on how the public should respond if they receive such messages, warning that interacting with the SMS could expose them to financial loss or identity theft.
“To protect yourself and others, kindly follow these steps: Do not click: Avoid clicking any links included in the suspicious SMS; Do not reply: Refrain from responding to the message; Do not pay: Never make payments through the provided platform.
“If you have already done so, contact your bank immediately to block or reverse the transaction and delete the message: remove the fraudulent SMS from your device right away,” the notice added.
The messages in question have been urging recipients to pay supposed traffic violation fines through a provided link, which has similarities to the NTSA’s official portal.
Inside the link, motorists are met with a threat indicating they have an unpaid instant fine, and they risk a court summons if it goes unpaid.
One of the biggest red flags from the fake portal was that it required a user to input the vehicle’s registration number. Typically, the NTSA already has this crucial piece of information in the event the authority wants to find a motorist.
To make the scheme convincing, the fraudsters accompany the SMS with a short deadline to give the illusion of urgency that is usually associated with instant fines.
However, on social media, several motorists have reported receiving the SMS despite not having any traffic violations, further raising red flags.
Drivers have been advised against clicking on any links attached to the fraudulent messages and replying to the messages since doing so exposes them to further fraud.
NTSA also warned motorists against making payments through links sent via unsolicited SMS.
For those who have already made payments, NTSA advised the victims to immediately contact their banks to block or reverse the transaction.
