Romanian Police warn of SMS fraud sending fake traffic‑fine notices

The Inspectorate General of the Romanian Police (IGPR) has issued a nationwide alert about a new online scam that impersonates the police. Fraudsters send SMS or messaging‑app messages that appear to come from the Romanian Police, claiming the recipient has been fined for speeding (or parking) and must pay immediately. The messages threaten penalties, account blocking, and loss of vehicle registration if the payment is not made, and they include links to fraudulent websites that mimic official portals. IGPR stresses that the police never issue fines via SMS and advises citizens not to reply to such messages, not to click any links, and to verify any alleged fine only through the official site ghiseul.ro entered manually in a browser. The warning, repeated across dozens of outlets, also notes that suspicious domain extensions such as .cc, .top or .vip are common indicators of the scam. Authorities urge anyone who has already entered personal or banking data to contact their bank and report the incident to the police.