A Mumbai man's post about a 'convincing' e-challan SMS has shocked the internet. (Photo: X)
A Mumbai man's post about a 'convincing' e-challan SMS has shocked the internet. (Photo: X)A single text message was enough to trigger an alarm, a traffic fine, a ticking clock, and a link that looked official. For a Mumbai-based stand-up comedian, it nearly ended with his card details in the wrong hands, exposing a traffic challan scam that many online say is becoming increasingly common.
Comedian Shridhar V recounted receiving an SMS claiming his vehicle had been caught overspeeding by a traffic camera.
What exactly happened?
Sent from a regular mobile number, the message urged him to pay the fine immediately and included a shortened link. At first glance, the warning appeared routine and credible. It was only when he paused to check the website’s domain that something felt off.
“Who says Indians are not innovative?” Shridhar wrote, revealing that he had almost entered his card details before deciding to Google the link. Screenshots he shared showed a webpage that closely resembled the Government of India’s official e-challan portal. The fake site prominently displayed the Ashoka emblem and described itself as “eChallan – Digital Traffic/Transport Enforcement Solution,” claiming to operate under the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways.
The page flashed a warning: “Urgent Payment Required! You have an outstanding traffic fine of INR 500. Pay immediately.” It listed a single pending challan with a long reference number, identified the department as “Traffic,” and featured a bright green “Pay Now” button. A cautionary note below warned that non-payment could result in heavy fines, licence suspension, or even a court summons, language clearly aimed at creating panic.
A closer look revealed the obvious flaw. The website’s address was echallan.pasvahan.icu, not the official echallan.parivahan.gov.in portal run by the Government of India. The shortened URL in the SMS had hidden the suspicious domain, making the scam far harder to detect at first glance.
Shridhar’s post quickly struck a chord online. Several users responded saying they had received similar messages and narrowly avoided making payments. "Yes. I almost did the same last week. Felt something amiss and tried verifying and realised that it’s a fake one. However got duped of ₹999 with a fake HSRP number plate website," said one user.
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