The Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) has disowned a viral message notifying motorists of road traffic violations and directing them to a website to pay fines.
In a statement on Wednesday, the FRSC described the message as fraudulent and warned members of the public against clicking on the link attached to it.
The alert followed concerns raised by a social media user over a text message he received notifying him of a road safety violation.
“I don’t know who to blame, whether it was my service provider or the road safety officials,” the social media user said.
“Yesterday, I received a message about a road safety violation. I clicked the link and paid a fine of just ₦5, only to wake up this morning and discover that millions of naira had been wiped from my account.”
Several other motorists also said they received similar messages.
A motorist said his suspicion arose after he noticed that the website offered only one payment option, unlike the payment process he had previously encountered.
“This was when it struck me. I have paid a fine before and I had three options for payment,” he said.
However, the FRSC said the messages and the link identified as “frscgov.top/ng” were fraudulent and designed to impersonate the corps.
The corps said its official website is “frsc.gov.ng” and urged motorists to use only its authorised digital platforms and communication channels.
According to the FRSC, the fraudulent message creates a sense of urgency by claiming that a new traffic offence has been recorded against the recipient and asking them to click a link to review the details.
The FRSC warned that the links could be used to harvest personal and financial information from unsuspecting victims.
The corps advised members of the public not to click on suspicious links or disclose banking information, passwords, card details, driver’s licence information, vehicle registration details or other personal data in response to such messages.
It also urged recipients to preserve the messages as evidence, avoid further engagement with the sender and report them through appropriate channels.
The FRSC said motorists should verify alleged traffic offences directly through its official channels rather than through links contained in unsolicited messages.
The road safety corps added that members of the public could use its national toll-free line, 122, or its official website to verify information.
Shehu Mohammed, FRSC Corps Marshal, directed that the public be adequately sensitised about the fraudulent scheme and urged motorists to remain vigilant in their online engagements.
The corps said it would work with relevant law enforcement and cybersecurity authorities to pursue those behind the impersonation and counterfeit digital platforms.
