"Your Vehicle Has a ₹3,000 Challan” — A New WhatsApp Scam Using Your Actual Vehicle Number

Received this WhatsApp message claiming that my vehicle has a ₹3,000 traffic violation and asking me to install the “NextGen mParivahan” app to view the challan. The scary part is that the vehicle number in the message is actually my real registered vehicle number. But here's the catch: I haven't even received the physical number plate from the RTO yet, so that number isn't currently being used on my vehicle. Yet the scammers somehow already know the registered vehicle number. The link takes you to a fake website that looks like a Google Play Store listing for a government app. The page is essentially a static/template image — even the back button and other navigation elements don't properly work. But the “Install” button actually installs a suspicious application. The red flags: They know my actual registered vehicle number Fake traffic-police message ₹3,000 payment demand Suspicious .io domain pretending to be government-related Fake Google Play-style interface Fake ratings/download numbers Pressure to install an APK/app Threat of “further legal action” Do not install the app or pay through the link. Verify any challan through the official government portal/app instead. The funniest part? They got my vehicle number right… but the actual number plate hasn't even been issued to me yet. Scammers really said: “Let's skip the number plate and go straight to the challan.”