Fake traffic fines and vehicle messages
A fine you did not know about, a discount that expires today, a link to pay. The fine is fake — the payment page is the point. These are shapes of the same online swindle — usually a phishing message with a suspicious link.
What these messages claim
The message imitates a traffic authority or an official payment platform and asks for a quick payment, usually with a deadline:
“You have an unpaid traffic fine — pay now to avoid a doubled penalty.”
“A discount on your fines is available today only — pay through this link.”
“A violation was recorded against your vehicle — confirm your details.”
“Your vehicle registration has expired — pay the renewal fee here.”
“Pay the fine through this WhatsApp number and send us the transfer receipt.”
Why official-looking links are the trick
Official traffic and payment services exist and are legitimate — but criminals copy their look. The message is never sent by that service: it is a fake page that collects your card number, the code that arrives by SMS, and sometimes your national ID as well. Neither a traffic authority nor an official payment platform will ever ask you to pay through a link in a text message, into a personal account, or by sending a receipt to a mobile number.
⚠️ A deadline, with a threat of a doubled fine or a suspended licence.
⚠️ A payment link that is not on the official platform's own domain.
⚠️ Payment to a personal account, or a transfer to a mobile number.
⚠️ Any request for your verification code or your full card number.
⚠️ A “discount on fines” that has to be paid for first.
- Check the fine yourself inside the official traffic or payment app for your country — log in directly, never through a link in a message.
- If a real fine is listed there, pay it only inside that same official platform.
- Do not call any number in the message and do not reply to it.
- If you entered card details, call your bank now and ask them to block the card and stop the payment.
- Report the message through the official national channel for your country (below).
The platforms people search for
Names such as Absher in Saudi Arabia and Efaa in Bahrain belong to genuine government services, and in the UAE the police app of each emirate is the official route. That is exactly why they are imitated. Open the platform yourself — from its official website or its own listing in an official app store — and check there. A message containing a payment link is not the platform.
Fees are never paid to a person
Government fees are paid to a government service, never to an individual. If the beneficiary is a personal name, it is fraud — however official the message looks and however small the amount is.
If you already paid
Call your bank immediately — the number on the back of your card — and ask them to block the card and recall the payment. Keep the message and any screenshots, then report it through the official national channel below. Even a small loss should be reported.
Report it officially
🇦🇪 UAE
Dubai Police eCrime (ecrime.ae, 901) · Abu Dhabi Aman 8002626 · Ministry of Interior e-Crime · emergencies 999.
🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia
Ministry of Interior e-Crime platform · report financial fraud to your bank and SAMA · emergencies 911.
🇰🇼 Kuwait
CITRA Cyber Security
[email protected] · Ministry of Interior cybercrime unit · emergency 112.
🇧🇭 Bahrain
National Cyber Security Center
[email protected] · Ministry of Interior economic & electronic security · emergencies 999.
