Delhi man loses Rs 4 lakh after clicking fake traffic challan link on WhatsApp

SCAM

A Delhi man lost over Rs 4 lakh after falling for a fake traffic challan message sent on WhatsApp, according to a report by Times of India.

According to police, the man received a WhatsApp message from an unknown number claiming that a traffic challan of Rs 1,000 was pending against him. The message said it was from “NextGen mParivahan” and looked official, with references to the transport department. It even carried the tone and language used in government alerts, which made it seem genuine.

The message included a link asking him to check the challan details and clear the fine. Believing it to be real, the man clicked on the link and downloaded an app. However, once the app was installed, no challan details showed up. At that point, he did not suspect anything was wrong.

Trouble began a little later in the afternoon. Around 2.59 pm, he received an email alert saying that the password for his Amazon e-wallet had been changed. Within minutes, the email ID linked to his account was also altered without his permission. Soon after that, he started getting SMS alerts from different banks about high-value credit card transactions.

In total, five transactions were carried out using his saved credit card details, none of which were approved by him. Police say the fraudsters used his card information to buy e-gift cards from an online shopping platform. These gift cards were delivered digitally to the scammer’s email address, making the money almost impossible to recover.

By the time the man realised what had happened, he had lost around Rs 4.05 lakh. He later filed a complaint on the National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal, and police registered a case of cheating under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.

Police say this is not an isolated case. Last month, an elderly man in east Delhi lost Rs 2.5 lakh after clicking on a similar link to pay a fake traffic fine of Rs 500.

With official challan alerts now being sent via WhatsApp, scammers are using fear and urgency to trick people. They send messages through WhatsApp, SMS, and even PDF files, often claiming to be from the transport ministry or posing as officials.

Police warn people to be careful of messages that demand immediate payment, threaten licence suspension, or ask users to click on links. Any challan should be checked only through the official Parivahan website. Unknown links, QR codes, and payment requests are strong warning signs, officers say.

The advice is simple. If something feels urgent and asks for money right away, stop and verify before clicking anything.