Fraudulent SMS impersonating traffic police spreading across Slovakia
Scammers are sending fake SMS messages from foreign numbers, impersonating the traffic police and demanding payment of fines. Police SR warn against clicking on the links.
False SMS about traffic offence fines: police warn Slovaks of new scam
Nový Čas reports that Slovakia has been hit by a new mass fraud involving SMS messages sent from foreign telephone numbers. In the messages, scammers impersonate the traffic police and urge recipients to immediately pay an alleged fine for a traffic offence that was supposedly detected by an intelligent traffic monitoring system.
The message appears credible at first glance. However, it contains a suspicious link to a website where the victim is supposed to "settle" the fine, and a threat that payment must be made within 48 hours. The aim is to force the recipient to click on the link and deprive them of sensitive information or money.
The Police of the Slovak Republic highlight several signs by which the scam can be identified.
"First of all, it should be emphasised that this is a scam we have written about thousands of times. Again, there is no shortage of psychological manipulation by the scammer targeting their victim. Pressure on the victim to act as quickly as possible is a classic fraud trick, where the victim under time pressure and stress makes mistakes," the police state.
A second warning sign is an unknown telephone number of the sender. The police point out that a state institution would not send fines from, for example, a Romanian number.
The third sign is an unknown link in the message. "That is always a guarantee that it is a scam. The police force does not send fines via SMS messages. If such a development ever occurred, we would inform the public about it. Do not fall for the scammers' trick — if you are not sure about an email, letter or message, consult with someone close to you or write to us. It is better to check three times whether it is a scam than to lose 30,000 euros," the police add.
If you receive such an SMS message, the police recommend not clicking on any links and deleting the message immediately.
Source: Nový Čas