Kolkata: Bidhannagar City Police has registered a case against unknown cyber fraudsters for attempting to cheat people under the guise of traffic fine payments.
Police said several people recently received text messages mentioning their vehicle registration numbers and alleging traffic violations—most commonly “red light jumping”. The messages contained a link claiming to provide photographs or video footage of the offence. Investigators warned that the link is a trap designed to gain control of the recipient’s phone. Clicking on it automatically installs malware or spyware, giving fraudsters full access to the device and potentially causing financial loss. Victims are also prompted to download an App, which is another fraudulent tool.
Officials clarified that in genuine traffic challans, recipients are never asked to download any application. Instead, the official message only carries a challan number and directs the person to the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways website to check details.
Deputy Commissioner (Traffic) Nima Norbu Bhutia, DC (Bidhannagar) Aneesh Sarkar, and DC (Detective Department) Sonawane Kuldip Suresh urged citizens to remain cautious and read such messages carefully. They stressed that any message asking people to download an App or file is fraudulent, while genuine challans always redirect to the government portal.
Police have registered a suo motu case and launched a probe to trace the culprits behind the scam.