'This message was not sent by us': LTA warns of phishing scam involving road-related fees

If you've received a SMS asking for payment on outstanding road fees, it may be a scam.

In a Facebook post on Friday (Sept 6), the Land Transport Authority (LTA) warned motorists of the re-emergence of a phishing scam with the following message.

"Dear customer, due to an error in the information, your vehicle has an outstanding road fee that needs to be paid as soon as possible. Please click on the link to view."

LTA said that it did not send the message, adding that it does not send any links to the public to make payment.

The authority reminded recipients of such unsolicited messages or emails not to click on any links provided, and that they should not disclose personal information or one-time passwords (OTPs) to anyone.

How to recognise government SMSes

From July 1, 2024, all SMSes sent by government agencies, ministries, statutory boards and services use the common "gov.sg" sender ID. 

The gov.sg SMS sender ID is protected, and only government agencies are able to use it.

There are 4 distinct indicators in a gov.sg SMS:

• The sender ID is gov.sg with all letters in lowercase.
• The SMS begins with the full name of the agency or service that sent it. 
• The SMS ends with the signature "This is an automated message sent by the Singapore Government".
• All SMSes from gov.sg are grouped into a single conversation, even if they are sent by different agencies or services. 

Phishing scams on the rise

In 2023, the police issued an advisory to alert the public to a rising trend of phishing scams involving unpaid vehicle-related bills or fines.

Victims who clicked on the link would be direct to fraudulent websites, where they would be required to provide their credit or debit card details and OTPs. 

Victims only realised that they have been scammed after discovering unauthorised transactions made to their cards. 

ALSO READ: LTA warns of phishing scam involving SMSes about unpaid ERP charges

editor@asiaone.com