Sir,

I write this to caution the general public and the Police Department about a fraudulent modus operandi adopted by unauthorised persons (fraudsters). They are sending old traffic violation records — apparently sourced from the Vaahan website — and asking recipients to click a link for easy verification and payment.

The danger lies in not knowing where such payments may be redirected. I share this based on my personal experience.

I received a WhatsApp message from an unknown contact containing a request to verify an alleged traffic violation by clicking on a link. The message claimed the violation was due to overspeeding near the Government Printing Press and was dated XX March 2015. A penalty amount was also mentioned.

To make it appear genuine, the message included standard printed information stating that the violation was captured on CCTV, along with an e-mail ID and phone number for assistance. I attempted to verify the ticket by contacting the given e-mail ID and phone numbers but received no response. The e-mail reply I did receive stated that they do not handle such cases.

To confirm further, I visited the Devaraja Traffic Police Station. There, I was shown the same information that had appeared in the WhatsApp link.

The receptionist clarified that the Department does not send 10-year-old violation notices, especially not via WhatsApp. He also stated that no CCTV cameras were installed in that area in 2015 to record such violations.

He advised me to ignore the message, suggesting that it may have come from an unauthorised source and is not official.

Initially, I considered ignoring the message. However, I later realised that such violations — whether real or fabricated — could resurface during the sale of the vehicle, during Fitness Certificate (FC) renewal, or even during roadside checks in emergencies.

To avoid complications, I decided to pay the fine through the KarnatakaOne portal and received a proper receipt.

This message is to caution the public not to click on suspicious links or make payments through unverified channels, as they may end up losing money to fraudsters.

The Traffic Police Department must also investigate how such information and screenshots are reaching unauthorised individuals. If violations are time-barred (if such a provision exists for traffic fines), then such records should be removed from public databases to prevent misuse.

– Prof. B.S. Shankara (Retd.), Mysuru, 16.3.2025

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