Rajasthan Police issues advisory on fake RTO e-challan scams stealing money via malware-laced APKs

Jaipur: The cyber crime branch of Rajasthan Police has issued an advisory cautioning residents against a sharp rise in fraud cases linked to fake e-challan and RTO-related messages, warning that malicious apps disguised as transport portals are being used to drain bank accounts.

According to Additional Director General of Police (Cyber Crime) VK Singh, criminals are sending APK files with names such as “RTO Challan.apk”, “RTO eChallan.apk” and “mParivahan.apk”. When downloaded or installed, the files can activate malware on a phone and steal banking credentials, one-time passwords and personal information.

Singh said the fraudsters often use fear-laden language — references to court cases, vehicle blacklisting and jail terms — to push recipients into making hasty payments. They also build phishing websites that closely resemble official government portals, often using nearly identical URLs. In several cases, callers have impersonated RTO officials and demanded money for challan settlement, driving licence renewal or vehicle permits.

To help residents distinguish genuine traffic challans from fakes, the advisory points out that authentic messages always include the vehicle’s registration number along with the last five digits of the engine and chassis numbers — details missing in fraudulent texts. Real challan messages also come from a designated sender header such as “AD-TRFFC”; messages sent from ordinary mobile numbers are fake.

The cyber crime unit has advised residents to use only the Government of India’s NextGen mParivahan app for vehicle and challan-related services and to avoid scanning QR codes shared by unknown individuals. Official government portals, the police said, always redirect users to authorised bank gateways such as SBI ePay or eGRAS for any payment.

Suspicious mobile numbers and SMS messages can be reported on the Sanchar Saathi portal. Victims of cyber fraud have been asked to file complaints at the nearest police station or cyber police station, on the National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal at https://cybercrime.gov.in, or through the helpline 1930. Cyber helpdesk numbers 9256001930 and 9257510100 are also available for assistance.