Watch out! The traffic fine scam is back in email. Don't fall for it!

Receiving a traffic fine is one of the deepest fears every driver has, even when we are not aware of having broken any rule or exceeded the speed limit on any stretch of road. But we all make mistakes and can end up with an unexpected fine. This type of penalty calls for caution, because a message like this may reach our email inbox. And in that case, we must be wary.

The DGT does not notify any penalty or fine through this channel. Fines can be received in physical form in the mailbox at our home, and they can be checked on the DGT website. But if a notification arrives by email, there is no doubt about it: it is a scam, a way of getting the user’s bank details. It is known as phishing.

Fake emails in the inbox

The characteristics of this email already reveal that it is not an ordinary message. It takes several forms, but one has been detected with the subject “Vehicle blocked – Unpaid fine“. We already know that the DGT does not block any vehicle for non-payment of a fine. The target of the penalty is the driver, not the vehicle, so interest is simply added and, if payment is not received within a set time, the accounts and assets of the person fined are seized.

The email contains a link that leads to a page that looks like the official DGT site, but is not. There it reports a pending fine and offers payment by credit or debit card. The DGT’s warning is clear: DO NOT PAY ANY ATTENTION TO THIS EMAIL and do not follow the link.

The best course is to delete the fake email from your inbox and ignore it. To check whether a fine is pending, there are several ways to do so, so you can stay calm and sort it out in a few minutes.

How the DGT notifies fines

The DGT has a method of notifying fines by email. It is one of the features of the institution’s website. To use it, you must access the website of the Electronic Road Address (DEV). In this case, it only reports that there is a notification of interest for the user, without specifying what it is about.

The DGT never notifies any kind of penalty in this way, so its authenticity must be ruled out from the start. To enter the DGT website and check for fines, you need a digital certificate or a temporary key. With this you can access the official site and obtain all the information you want to know.