Fake NARSA fines scam in Casablanca: two men arrested
Two suspects aged 23 and 28 were detained on 17 October in the Aïn Sebaâ–Hay Mohammadi district. They are suspected of impersonating NARSA and diverting telephone traffic.
Two arrests in Casablanca for fraud involving fake NARSA traffic offence notices
Two men were arrested on 17 October in Casablanca as part of an investigation into fraud involving fake traffic offence notices and telephone network hacking, LNT.ma reports.
The suspects, aged 23 and 28, were apprehended by judicial police officers in the Aïn Sebaâ–Hay Mohammadi district. The investigation covers two separate but linked areas.
The first concerns an alleged telephone diversion scheme: electronic equipment was reportedly used to route international calls as local communications, allowing those involved to profit from tariff differences.
The second area involves the sending of fraudulent messages purporting to come from the National Road Safety Agency, NARSA. By impersonating this official body, the suspects allegedly attempted to make payment demands for supposed unpaid fines appear legitimate.
This type of fraud differs from conventional scams in its capacity to imitate institutions that citizens know and trust. The messages transmitted appeared sufficiently official to encourage recipients to click on a link and enter their banking details without prior verification.
The two suspects remain under investigation; the charges against them have not yet been established in court.
Authorities remind the public that a message with an official appearance does not guarantee its authenticity. Before paying a fine or entering financial information online, it is advisable to verify the request directly with the official website or application of the institution in question.
Source: LNT.ma