Kerala man checks traffic fine message on his phone, enters vehicle number and loses Rs 3.89 lakh in online fraud

A 41-year-old man in Keralam lost Rs 3,89,496 from his bank account after clicking a link in a text message claiming that a traffic penalty had been imposed on his vehicle. The message redirected him to a website resembling the government's Parivahan portal, following which the money was withdrawn through 10 UPI transactions, according to PTI.

The complainant, Jamsheed, a resident of Nambolankunnu near Calicut Airport in Malappuram district, approached the police after checking his bank balance and discovering the unauthorised withdrawals. Police have traced the bank accounts to which the money was transferred and directed that they be frozen.

How the fake traffic fine message led to the fraud

The incident took place on November 8, when Jamsheed received a text message on his mobile phone claiming that a penalty had been imposed for a traffic violation involving his vehicle.


According to police, the message contained a reference number and a link that took him to an interface resembling the Parivahan portal, the government's platform for vehicle-related services.

After opening the link, Jamsheed entered his vehicle registration number as prompted.

Soon afterwards, Rs 3,89,496 was withdrawn from his bank account through 10 transactions using a UPI application, police told PTI.

The withdrawals came to light when he checked his bank balance. He then approached the police and filed a complaint.

Police trace accounts receiving the money

Police registered a case on November 12 under relevant provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and the Information Technology Act.

During the investigation, officials traced the bank accounts to which the money had been transferred. They directed that these accounts be frozen.

The investigation is under way to identify the people behind the fraud and establish how the money was moved through the accounts.

Other people report similar traffic fine scams

Police said several other people had also approached them with complaints about similar messages claiming that traffic fines had been imposed on their vehicles.

These complainants reported losing smaller amounts after clicking links received in such messages.

The cases point to a similar pattern in which people receive traffic penalty alerts carrying reference numbers and links that lead to interfaces resembling official government portals.

Police are investigating the complaints as part of efforts to identify those responsible for the fraudulent transactions.

(With PTI inputs)