PSCA seeks cybercrime probe after fake e-challan website targets citizens

The Punjab Safe Cities Authority (PSCA) has requested the National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA) to trace and take legal action against suspects who allegedly cloned its official website and sent fraudulent alerts instructing citizens to pay fines for e-challans they never incurred, Dawn reported. 

The Authority has also written to Punjab Police, asking them to track the mobile numbers used to circulate the fake link, which closely resembled the PSCA’s official webpage.

Over recent weeks, a growing number of people have reported receiving SMS and WhatsApp messages claiming they owed traffic fines, including individuals living outside Punjab, among them a Karachi resident who neither owned a vehicle nor held a driving licence. Each message contained a web link that directed users to a cloned site designed to mimic the PSCA’s e-challan portal.

After reviewing several complaints, the PSCA determined that the messages were part of a phishing scheme aimed at extracting money through a fabricated payment link. The Authority has since issued a public warning, urging citizens to verify any alerts through the official short code 8070 and to avoid clicking on unknown links.

PSCA Managing Director Ahsan Younas said fraudsters were increasingly exploiting digital channels for financial gain. He added that a PSCA team investigating the case found that the alert messages and accompanying voice note warning of a fake website were being circulated by a citizen in Karachi, prompting the Authority to launch a widespread awareness campaign.

Mr Younas noted that the PSCA cannot independently initiate legal proceedings against those behind the cloned site, but has focused on informing the public of the scam. He emphasised that genuine PSCA messages originate only from 8070 and that the official website uses the “.gov.pk” domain, neither of which matched the fraudulent version.

PSCA Chief Operating Officer Mustansar Feroze said one of the mobile numbers used in the scam was traced to a woman unconnected to the operation, indicating that suspects may be using black-market SIMs and CNICs. He warned that the group behind the scam appeared to be using multiple numbers to target citizens and potentially harvest personal information through malicious scripts embedded in the links.

The PSCA has submitted a formal request to the NCCIA for a high-level investigation to identify the network behind the cloned website and take action for damaging the Authority’s reputation as a leading public-safety initiative.