Like most aspects of any online service, traffic violations have also found a way into the hands of scammers and unsuspecting victims have fallen into the new art of phishing. One gets a message about a violation, and as soon as the link is clicked, or an app is downloaded, scammers find a way to wipe your bank account clean and get away.
Here’s all you need to know about the new Vahan Parivahan phishing scam and how to stay safe.
What is the Vahan Parivahan phishing scam?
The Vahan Parivahan phishing scam or the e-challan scam is a cyber attack targeted at unsuspecting citizens saying they have a traffic violation via SMS. The message usually contains a link to pay the fine or to download the Vahan Parivahan app and once downloaded, scammers manage to get access to your personal data and siphon away money from your bank account.
One usually gets an SMS for an e-challan and the link will redirect to a fake website or, at times, prompt you to download an app. The fake website would look similar to the official website, designed to steal information like credit card details, Aadhaar number, login credentials, etc.
How to avoid falling victim?
The easiest way to avoid falling victim to such a scam is not to click any link over messages. Instead, if there is a message that notifies you about an e-challan, go to the official website to check it, or contact the traffic police to verify details. Do not go with what the message says.
Any official government website will have a ‘.gov.in’ extension, so look out for this. Also, never share any personal information on any unknown websites, until you are sure of the authenticity of the website.