A Mumbai-based comedian recently shared how he almost fell for a clever e-challan scam. In this scam, fraudsters created a fake website that looked exactly like the official Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) portal. Shridhar V, the comedian, posted screenshots on X (formerly Twitter) showing a message about a pending challan.
The fake site was made to look real and tricked him into entering personal and financial details. The scammers’ goal was to steal sensitive information and money.
How the scam works
The screenshots showed a text message about a fake speeding challan. The message came from a regular 10-digit number. When he clicked the link, the URL read ‘echallan.pasvahan.icu’ instead of the real one, ‘echallan.parivahan.gov.in’. Even the spelling of “parivahan” was wrong on the fake site—it was written as “pasvahan.”
“Who says Indians are not innovative? Look at the sophistication of this scam. I almost entered my card details before googling the domain. Insane amount of fraud must be happening with so many people. By the time police starts acting on it, they’d make millions! Terrible,” the comedian wrote.
Who says Indians are not innovative? Look at the sophistication of this scam 😱 I almost entered my card details before googling the domain. Insane amount of fraud must be happening with so many people. By the time police starts acting on it, they’d make millions! Terrible 😠 pic.twitter.com/KZyg6R4RnI
— Shridhar V (@iimcomic) January 17, 2026
Scams like these are becoming very common in India, targeting hundreds of people every day. Authorities advise citizens to verify such messages through official channels and never share personal details on unverified websites. Always check the URL and make sure it ends with the official MoRTH domain (.gov.in).
Social media reacts
The post struck a chord with many on social media, with some sharing their own experiences, and others giving advice on what not to do in such situations. “omg thanks for this.. i’ve been getting these messages too!,” a user wrote.Another user said, “Haha. Not everyone is as smart as you. The interface will fool many”.
A third user wrote, “Didn’t you check whether pics are uploaded or not ? They won’t be having your bike or car pics. Police always upload. Simple as that. But i wonder how they integrate payment gateway”.
One more comment surfaced where a user wrote, “Yes. I almost did the same last week. Felt something amiss and tried verifying and realised that it’s a fake one. However got duped of ₹999 with a fake HSRP number plate website”.