BTP warns about fraudulent traffic challans

NT Correspondent

Bengaluru: The Bengaluru Traffic Police (BTP) have taken legal action against five mobile applications which were illegally operated to swindle money on the pretext of collecting traffic violation fines from vehicle owners in the city.

According to a senior official from the Traffic Management Centre (TMC) applications namely- Bangalore Traffic, Bangalore Traffic Check F, Traffic Bangalore, Bangalore Traffic Fine Checker, and Traffic Fines Bangalore- were allegedly involved in the scam.

These apps were exploited by fraudsters to deceive people by introducing a new method of scamming money through fake WhatsApp messages.

Sources from the BTP said that several residents received messages alleging traffic violations and demanding payment. Victims were coerced into making payments via QR codes sent through WhatsApp.

The suspicion arised from the fact that the details of the pending traffic fines were shared exclusively with the Bangalore One portal, a government-operated platform for integrated citizen services.

Based on a complaint filed by Jagadisha C, a Database Administrator at TMC, an FIR was filed alleging that several unidentified accused have obtained data from the Bangalore One portal and was being misused.

War ning the public about the scam, Joint Commissioner of Police, Traffic, MN Anucheth clarified that fines cannot be paid via WhatsApp or QR codes and that these five implicated apps have been removed from the Google Play Store.

"BTP solely dispatches notices via post. We do not use WhatsApp for communication, and fines cannot be paid through QR codes. We urge commuters to rely solely on our official website https://btp.gov.in and refrain from using any other apps or websites," stated Anucheth.

While it remains unclear whether the QR code payment messages originate from these apps or cybercriminals exploiting their data, their illicit nature raises significant concerns, according to a senior official.