If it asks you to install an app, it is a scam. A challan message from an ordinary mobile number, with a link to a Parivahan-style page that takes your vehicle number and then says “install app to clear challan”, is a reported scam. The app is malware that reads your OTPs. Check challans only on echallan.parivahan.gov.in or your state traffic police site, typed in yourself — and never install an .apk file sent by SMS or WhatsApp.
Fake traffic e-challan SMS whose link asks you to install an app to 'clear' the fine
An SMS from an ordinary mobile number says a traffic challan is pending and gives a link. The fake Parivahan-style page asks for your vehicle number, shows it back under an 'Internal Security Review' and tells you to install an app - that app is malware that reads your OTPs and can empty your bank account.
⚙️ How it works
The page looks genuine because it shows your own vehicle number, but it only repeats what you typed. Tapping 'Yes' downloads an APK from outside the Play Store; once installed it asks for SMS and accessibility access, hides its icon and forwards bank OTPs to the scammer. The same malware also arrives on WhatsApp as files named like 'Vahan Parivahan.apk' or 'e-Challan.apk'. Kerala Police warned about this version on 26 September 2026. In Indore (reported 16 October 2026) a Rs 1,500 red-light 'fine' SMS installed an app called 'NextGen mPariwahan', after which 16 transactions totalling about Rs 5.67 lakh were made from the accounts linked to the victim's UPI app.
🚩 Red flags
A challan SMS from a private mobile number instead of an official sender
A page that takes your vehicle number and then shows 'Internal Review', 'Pending Verification' or 'Install App to Clear Challan'
Any challan, traffic-fine, RTO, vehicle-verification, KYC or refund message that wants you to install an app or open an .apk file
A new app asking to read SMS, use accessibility or become the default SMS app
A discount if you pay 'today'
An app name built on 'mParivahan' or 'Parivahan' that did not come from Google Play (e.g. 'NextGen mPariwahan')
✅ What to do
Check challans only on echallan.parivahan.gov.in or your state traffic police site - type the address yourself, never use the link in a message.
Never install an APK sent by SMS, WhatsApp or Telegram. Government apps are only on Google Play.
If you installed one: switch off mobile data and Wi-Fi, do no banking on that phone, uninstall the app, run Aegix Scan, and change banking passwords from another device.
If money has gone, call your bank at once and report on 1930 or cybercrime.gov.in.
Already paid, shared a code or your screen? Call your bank on the number printed on your card and block the card.
Then call 1930, India’s national cyber-fraud helpline, and report it on
cybercrime.gov.in the same day.
Questions people ask about this message
Is the e-challan SMS with a link real?
Treat it as a scam when it comes from a private mobile number, or when the link leads to a page that asks you to install an app or download an .apk file. The fake page looks genuine because it shows your own vehicle number - but it only repeats what you typed.
How do I check if I really have a traffic challan?
Type echallan.parivahan.gov.in (or your state traffic police website) into the browser yourself and search by vehicle or challan number. Do not use the link in the message. Government apps, including mParivahan, come only from Google Play.
What is the 'NextGen mPariwahan' app?
The real mParivahan app is made by the National Informatics Centre and comes only from Google Play. Scammers copy its name: in Indore (reported 16 October 2026) a Rs 1,500 red-light 'fine' SMS installed a copy called 'NextGen mPariwahan' from a link, and 16 transactions totalling about Rs 5.67 lakh were then made from the accounts linked to the victim's UPI app. Any app named like 'mParivahan' or 'Parivahan' that did not come from Google Play is a red flag.
I installed the app from the challan link. What now?
Switch off mobile data and Wi-Fi, do no banking on that phone, and uninstall the app. Change your banking passwords from another device. If money has gone, call your bank at once and report it on cybercrime.gov.in or call 1930 the same day.
The same file came on WhatsApp as Vahan Parivahan.apk or e-Challan.apk. Is it the same scam?
Yes. The same malware is also sent as WhatsApp files with names like these. Do not open them, even when they come from a contact or a group you know.
How can I check another message like this?
Paste it into the free scam checker on this site - it runs in your browser and nothing you paste is uploaded. On an Android phone, the Aegix app can warn you about a scam-looking SMS as it arrives - in a test, a real fake-challan SMS with a look-alike Parivahan link was rated dangerous.
Let the phone warn you next time
Aegix is an Android security app from CryoSim, free to install, no account. Its Scam Radar lists the scams spreading in India,
filtered to your state; Scam Checker reads any message or link you paste in; and scam-SMS warnings (Aegix Premium, first month
free for new users) flag a scam-looking SMS as it arrives. Aegix flags the message; it does not delete it.
