Cyber criminals have found a new way to trap residents — sending alarming text messages about fake e-challans.
A weblink is included in the text message “to pay the fine”. But clicking the link compromises the mobile phone’s security, allowing the fraudsters access to the target’s bank account.
The Chandigarh Traffic Police issued an advisory in this regard on Sunday after several attempts by such hackers came to light and one resident even lost ₹11,891 after he fell prey to this fraud.
DSP (Traffic) Jaswinder Singh cautioned residents, saying they should never click on any weblink received through WhatsApp from an unknown mobile number, as they can end up losing their hard-earned money.
“Traffic police never send messages on WhatsApp and certainly not from a mobile number. Users who receive such a message should verify its authenticity on the Chandigarh Traffic Police website and also its social media handle. Unknown messages with weblinks should be deleted and reported,” he said.
Earlier this week, the Cyber Crime police station registered a case following a complaint by Sector 49 resident Preetinder Singh, who reported that he received a weblink for a challan and as he clicked on it, he lost ₹11,891 from his bank account. Police have launched a probe to trace the scammers.