The Greater Chennai Traffic Police (GCTP) has issued an advisory on fraudulent WhatsApp messages circulating, using the GCTP logo as a display picture and sharing links that mimic traffic challan payments.

The advisory also appealed to the public not to click on these links —they may be deceptive. “If you receive such messages, promptly report them to us,” said the GCTP.

A senior police officer said earlier, fraudsters send challans and phishing links looking deceptively similar to those issued by the traffic police. Now they have adopted this new technique of sending fraudulent WhatsApp messages, using the GCTP logo as a display picture and sharing links that mimic traffic challan payments. However no complaint was received yet.

The e-challan scam involves sending a WhatsApp message about a traffic violation with a link. When clicked or when an app is downloaded via the link, the fraudsters gain access to the bank accounts of the user. These fake websites look similar to official portals and are designed to steal credit card details, Aadhaar numbers, and login credentials, said Sankaraj Subramanian, a cyber expert.