Following reports of people receiving calls and messages from the Bengaluru traffic police in the last couple of days about their vehicles being involved in accidents or traffic violations, the Bengaluru police said Thursday the calls were being made by fraudsters to “deceive citizens and extract personal information or money”.
ಬೆಂಗಳೂರು ನಗರ ಸಂಚಾರ ಪೊಲೀಸ್ ವತಿಯಿಂದ ಎಂದು ಹೇಳಿಕೊಳ್ಳುವ ನಕಲಿ ಕರೆಗಳು ಮತ್ತು ಸಂದೇಶಗಳ ಬಗ್ಗೆ ನಾಗರೀಕರು ಎಚ್ಚರ ವಹಿಸುವುದು. pic.twitter.com/UEtutNQo1z
— DCP Traffic East ಉಪ ಪೊಲೀಸ್ ಆಯುಕ್ತರು ಸಂಚಾರ ಪೂರ್ವ (@DCPTrEastBCP) November 21, 2024
The Bengaluru traffic police asked the public to be wary of fake callers “demanding payment for fines or penalties” and “messages claiming to have footage of traffic violations and demanding payment”.
“Do not entertain or respond to such calls or messages. Do not click on suspicious links or download attachments. Do not provide personal information or make payments. Verify the authenticity of calls or messages by contacting our department directly,” the Bengaluru traffic police said in an official statement.
“Calls claiming to offer fake insurance or registration services. Messages asking citizens to click on malicious links or download attachments. Claiming to be from Traffic Police and informing that your vehicle is involved in hit & run case. Fake Police Transfer Calls: Calls where the scammer claims to transfer you to a fake police officer and asks you to press 1, 2, etc., to verify your identity or confirm payment,” said the statement.
While advising citizens to avoid entertaining or responding to such calls or messages, the Bengaluru traffic police also asked people to verify the identity of the callers and to only use official payment channels for fines or services.
