A routine text message about a traffic violation almost turned into a costly mistake for a Mumbai-based comedian — until a last-minute Google search turned up a convincing online hoax.
Shridhar V, a stand-up comic from Mumbai, took to X to warn users about a fraudulent e-challan link that closely mimicked the official portal of the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways. In screenshots shared online, Shridhar showed how a message claiming he had a pending speeding challan led him to a website that looked surprisingly legitimate.
According to Shridhar, the SMS came from a regular 10-digit mobile number and contained a link that directed him to what appeared to be the Parivahan government portal. However, a closer look revealed subtle red flags. The URL was “echallan.pasvahan.icu” instead of the authentic Parivahan domain “echallan.parivahan.gov.in”. Even the spelling of “Parivahan” has been changed – a small difference that unsuspecting users could easily miss.
The fake site asked him to enter personal and card details to clear the purported challan. “I almost entered my card details before I googled the domain,” Shridhar wrote, calling the scam “shockingly sophisticated.” He added that the scale of such scams is likely to be huge, given how realistic the portals appear and how late enforcement often follows.
His post made an impression on the Internet, with many users admitting to receiving similar messages. Some shared stories of narrowly avoiding financial loss, while others pointed out that government agencies typically use official sender IDs rather than regular phone numbers. Several users acknowledged that while the scam may seem obvious in hindsight, the design is convincing enough to fool even wary internet users.
One user wrote: “Indians are not innovators, they are just good at scams and scams.”
Another user wrote: “I get this every month, I simply write swear words and ddos on their api via claude.”
“Not sure why you would click on that link that clearly says it’s a scam. I get it regularly and ignore it. But I understand how some people can fall victim. Good to get it out there,” wrote a third user.
Cybercrime experts and authorities have repeatedly warned of a rise in e-challan fraud across India. Fraudsters increasingly rely on cloned government websites and urgent-sounding messages addressed to pressure recipients to make quick payments or share sensitive information.
Officials advise citizens to independently verify details of a challan only through official government portals ending in “.gov.in”, do not click on links from spam messages and never share bank or card details on unverified websites.
As Shridhar’s experience shows, even a moment of inattention can be risky – and a quick domain check can make all the difference.