Scam Alert: Fake FRSC Traffic Fine Texts Are Emptying Bank Accounts

admin — Fri, 23 Oct 2026 03:00:34 +0000

Nigerian motorists are being targeted by a text message scam that pretends to come from the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC). The message says a traffic offence has been recorded against your vehicle and asks you to tap a link to “review” or pay the fine. The link leads to a convincing fake website. Victims who enter card or bank details have reported losing hundreds of thousands, and in at least one case more than a million, naira.

The FRSC has publicly disowned the messages and called the website fraudulent. An investigation published by Public Enquirer on 16 October 2026 shows the scheme is still active, run on a network of look-alike domains that keep reappearing after takedowns.

How the fake FRSC fine scam works

The scam follows a familiar “smishing” (SMS phishing) pattern, but it has been polished to look official:

The text. You receive an SMS from an ordinary phone number saying a new traffic offence has been logged and needs your attention. It includes a link.
The fake portal. The link opens a page titled something like “Road Traffic Offences” that asks for your plate number. Whatever you type, it returns a “Pending Fines” screen.
The pressure. The page quotes the real FRSC Establishment Act, shows a violation code and offers to halve the fine if you pay within a short window. The legal language and deadline are there to rush you.
The theft. You are sent to a payment page and asked for card or account details. The “fine” is small, but what the criminals actually take is much larger.

Two public figures shared their experiences. Actress Eva Ibiam reported a single debit of about ₦364,574 to an unfamiliar foreign merchant, with a one-time password arriving minutes afterwards, a sign the fraudsters were using her details in real time. Comedian MC Monica reported a card charge of about ₦1.85 million to another unknown merchant, and received a second lure from a different web address within hours.

Why these fake sites keep coming back

Public Enquirer traced the operation to a cluster of cheap web addresses designed to look like government sites, including frscgov.top, which the FRSC itself flagged in September, and variants using endings such as .sbs and .cam. One fake domain was set up and hosted within about 82 seconds, which suggests the process is automated. The same infrastructure was also linked to a fake parking-payment site aimed at drivers in Poland, so this is an organised, international operation, not a lone fraudster.

Investigators also found a separate fake FRSC login page that collects email addresses and passwords. Only a handful of the domains have been permanently removed; others moved to new hosting and returned. That means you cannot rely on a site being blocked. You need to recognise the trick yourself.

Warning signs to look for

The message comes from a regular mobile number rather than an official sender.
The link does not point to frsc.gov.ng. Look-alikes such as “frscgov”, “frsc-gov” or unusual endings like .top, .sbs, .cam or .cc are red flags.
It offers a discount for paying fast or threatens extra penalties if you delay.
It asks for your full card number, expiry date, CVV, PIN or online banking password.
You receive an OTP you did not request just after visiting the page.

How to check a traffic fine safely

The FRSC says alleged offences should be verified only through its official channels, not through links in unsolicited messages. Its official website is frsc.gov.ng, and its national toll-free line is 122. Type the web address yourself instead of tapping a link, or call the line and ask whether your plate number has any record against it.

The FRSC has also advised motorists not to share banking details, passwords, card details, driver’s licence or vehicle registration information in response to such messages, to keep the messages as evidence, and to stop engaging with the sender.

What you should do

Do not tap links in texts about traffic fines, licence renewals or vehicle papers. Go to frsc.gov.ng directly or call 122.
Never enter card details or OTPs on a page you reached from an SMS link.
If you already paid, call your bank immediately using the number on the back of your card, ask them to block the card and dispute the transaction. Speed matters, because these debits can happen within minutes.
Change any password you typed into a fake FRSC login page, and change it anywhere else you reuse it.
Turn on transaction alerts and set daily card spending limits in your banking app, especially for online and foreign transactions.
Keep the SMS as evidence and report it to your bank and to the FRSC.
Warn family, drivers and staff, particularly anyone who manages company vehicles, because fleet managers are natural targets for this kind of message.