Spain's DGT warns of new wave of 'outstanding traffic fine' text messages scam

Cybercriminals send victims a fake SMS message, pressuring them into action to avoid hefty surcharges

Isabel Méndez

Malaga

Saturday, 21 September 2024, 08:52

History is repeating itself for Spain's Directorate-General for Traffic (DGT) roads and vehicle-licensing authority. At the beginning of the summer the DGT warned of an attempted scam message being sent via SMS to mobile phones. Now the cybercriminals are at it again. According to the DGT, they are trying to impersonate the authority by advising drivers that they have an outstanding fine to pay in order to get hold of their bank details or make a charge to their account.

Users receive a text message claiming to be sent from the DGT's digital hub 'informing' the driver that a traffic fine is pending, which must be paid as soon as possible to avoid surcharges. They typically demand payment within 24 hours or an imminent expiry date. Another variant is a message encouraging the user to check the details of the fine. In both variants the message includes a link that requires clinking. If the user clicks on it, then they will have fallen into the trap.

According to warnings from the independent OCU organisation of consumers and users (OCU) and the Spain's national institute of cybersecurity (INCIBE), this URL redirects the message recipient to a web page that pretends to be the DGT. In appearance it tries to simulate the official where again it urges you to pay the fine. It insists that you should do so as soon as possible via the "pay the fine" button. This takes you to a new screen, where the page asks for your personal and bank details so that you can pay the fine at once.

Recommended actions

In the event of receiving such a message users should not open it and should delete it immediately. If the false alert is believed, screenshots should be made of the different messages received and steps taken, and your bank should be informed immediately so that the necessary measures can be taken. It is also advisable to report the incident to the police, providing all possible evidence to assist their investigations to learn more about the modus operandi of these cybercriminals.

Muchos ciudadanos siguen recibiendo en sus móviles mensajes SMS en el que se les solicita el pago urgente de una multa en nombre de la #DGT. Son FALSOS, no notificamos sanciones vía SMS ni mail, solo a través de correo postal y de la Dirección Electrónica Vial #DEV. #smishing pic.twitter.com/2cLLxawiS3
— Dir. Gral. Tráfico (@DGTes) September 16, 2024

Faced with this avalanche of fraudulent messages the DGT is reminding the public on social media "that it never notifies of traffic violations by SMS or email. These are only communicated by post or via the digi-mailbox (Dirección Electrónica Vial - DEV) if you have signed up for it."

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