Got e-Challan? Beware! Don't Fall For This New Scam; All You Need To Know

The scammers are using fake e-challan messages to get access to the victim's account to steal money; read on to find all the details and how to be safe.

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Taking action against cybercrime cases, Faridabad police have issued a warning against the ongoing fake e-challan scam. Based on the information shared by the police department, the scammers are trapping the citizens by sending phony links disguised as a link for e-challan. Furthermore, these links direct the users to a web page that appears to be a government website. To spread awareness about the scam, the information was also shared on social media by the authorities.

The authorities shared the information on social media in the form of an infographic picture, with the text, saying, "If you receive a link for a traffic challan, don't click these links. By clicking upon these links for payment, fraudsters can hack your bank account."

Fake e-Challan Scam: How it works

Citizens have been cautioned by Faridabad Police not to click on any links they get in the form of an e-challan. According to the authorities, fraudsters only need a click on one of these bogus URLs to gain access to your bank account.

Anytime a vehicle owner clicks on the link and inputs their bank account number and credit card information, fraudsters hack the person's phone first and then, after some time, empty their account of all available funds.

Fake e-Challan Scam: Message

The authorities also informed that the text message sent by the scammers will end with a link. For example, "Your challan No. is XXXXXXXX for PB08DJXXXX having a total challan amount as Rs 500. For online payment visit: https://echallanparivahan.in/ you can also contact RTO office for disposal of challan. Regards, RTO." 

Fake e-Challan Scam: Link Identification

To help the citizens have a better understanding, the police department shared an example to show the difference between a real e-challan link and a fake one. It is to be noted that the official e-challan link with always end with ".gov.in." For instance, "https://echallan.parivahan.gov.in/." However, the fake challan link won't have the "gov.in." For example, "https://echallan.parivahan.in/"

The citizens are advised to file a complaint if they fall victim to the scam. Authorities halt the withdrawal of funds from your account as soon as the victim complains. Aside from this, victims can also visit their local police station or a cyber help desk.