Ministry of Internal Affairs warns of phishing scams

phishing attacks cybercrime SMS scams traffic fine fraud identity theft

The Ministry of Internal Affairs has issued a warning regarding a surge in phishing attacks targeting citizens. These scams are being conducted through fraudulent SMS messages, emails, websites, mobile applications, and social media.

The fraudulent messages falsely claim to be from the Department of Motor Vehicles or the ‘Safe City’ system, notifying individuals of alleged traffic violations. They include malicious links designed to trick users into making payments for these non-existent fines.

Authorities advise the public to exercise caution online, avoid clicking suspicious links, and never share personal information such as bank card numbers, passwords, or personal identifiers through unauthorized channels. Official SMS notifications for traffic violations should only come from the sender ‘MVR-SC’ and must include the vehicle's license plate number and a specific official link format. The Computer Crime Sector is currently conducting active investigations to identify and sanction the perpetrators.

Entities

Computer Crime sector · Department of Motor Vehicles · Ministry of Internal Affairs · Motor Vehicle Department · Safe City

Claims

What the coverage asserts, and how many sources carry each claim.

[● 3 SOURCES] The Ministry's Computer Crime Sector is actively investigating the fraudulent activities. www.brif.mk · denesen.mk
[● 3 SOURCES] Official links must follow the format 'https://safecountry.mvr.gov.mk...' and include the vehicle's registration plate. www.brif.mk · denesen.mk
[● 3 SOURCES] Scammers are impersonating the Motor Vehicle Department using 'Safe City' system notifications. www.brif.mk · denesen.mk
[● 3 SOURCES] Legitimate SMS notifications for traffic violations must come from the sender 'MVR-SC'. www.brif.mk · denesen.mk
[● 3 SOURCES] The fraudulent messages contain links intended to redirect users to pay fake traffic fines. www.brif.mk · denesen.mk
[● 3 SOURCES] Phishing attacks are occurring via SMS, email, websites, mobile apps, and social media. www.brif.mk · denesen.mk