The Lagos State Ministry of Transportation has alerted motorists and members of the public against fraudulent text messages and malicious online links falsely accusing recipients of traffic violations.
The ministry, in a public advisory, urged residents to exercise caution when receiving unsolicited messages relating to traffic offences, warning them against clicking on unverified links, sharing personal information or making payments through unauthorised third-party platforms.
According to the ministry, the fraudulent messages are designed to deceive unsuspecting members of the public into surrendering sensitive personal and banking information. It also warned motorists about fake platforms offering purported discounts on traffic fines as part of efforts to lure victims into making payments.
The ministry clarified that the Lagos State Government does not offer discounts on statutory traffic penalties through any of its platforms. It stressed that approved traffic fines are fixed and can only be paid through officially authorised channels.
Motorists seeking to authenticate traffic violation notices or verify the status of their vehicles were advised to use only the official online platforms provided by the Lagos State Government. The ministry listed payvis.ng and tms.lagosstate.gov.ng as the official platforms for such services.
The ministry further urged residents to remain vigilant, report suspicious messages and websites, and avoid using unofficial platforms for traffic-related enquiries or payments. It reiterated that members of the public should rely exclusively on verified government channels when handling traffic violation notices, fines and other related transactions.
The warning comes amid reports of Nigerians falling victim to similar scams. Content creator Miss Ezeani was among those who came forward to share her experience. According to reports, she received a message claiming she had committed a traffic offence, clicked the link and paid a fine, only to discover the message was fraudulent.
Nollywood actor Adekanla Desalu, also known as Deza The Great, disclosed that he lost $2,500 after clicking a fraudulent SMS link disguised as a traffic fine notice. He explained that the message looked similar to notifications he had encountered before and claimed he had exceeded a speed limit. Believing it was genuine, he entered his card details to make the payment, only to later discover that the message had not come from the road safety agency.
Comedian MC Monica also reportedly lost about N1.8 million after clicking a link contained in a message concerning an alleged FRSC traffic offence. He said he clicked the link, paid N5,000 for the purported fine, but later discovered that about N1.85 million had been debited without his authorisation.
Actress Eva Ibiam said she lost about N400,000 through the scam after she received an SMS notifying her of an alleged traffic offence and clicked the attached link, believing it was connected to the FRSC.
The experiences triggered wider conversations among social media users, with Nigerians sharing warnings about unsolicited messages. Many users raised concerns about how the scammers obtained their phone numbers, with some suggesting a possible data leak targeting car owners.
The Federal Road Safety Corps has also disowned the fraudulent messages and website identified as “frscgov.top/ng”, saying it has no affiliation with the commission. The FRSC urged members of the public not to regard such messages or websites as originating from the corps, stating that its official website is frsc.gov.ng and its verified online services operate through authorised digital channels.
