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[SITUATION] · [ACTIVE]

15 clusters · 38 sources · 36 days · First seen about 1 month ago · Last updated 1 day ago

Categories: TECHNOLOGY · CRIME · POLITICS

North Macedonia Safe City expands, faces phishing scams

Entities: MVR‑SC (official sender) · Ministry of Internal Affairs of North Macedonia · Department for Motor Vehicles (MVR) · Department of Motor Vehicles (MVR) · Debarca municipality

Overview

The Safe City traffic‑monitoring system, launched in February 2026, has continued its rollout across North Macedonia and into Greece. By late June it covered Skopje, Tetovo, Kumanovo, the 8 and 10 corridors, Veles and the Novo Selo post in Debarca, with testing underway in Debar. The pilot logged about 110 000 violations on its first day, fell to roughly 500‑600 daily by early February and has recorded more than 130 000 violations overall, 95 % for speeding. From February to June road‑death fatalities dropped 40 % to 33 and traffic‑accident victims fell by a similar share.

On 14 July the Deputy Prime Minister and Transport Minister announced amendments to five laws to permit wider deployment of intelligent transport systems, backed by a €13 million Western Balkans Support Mechanism grant and cooperation with the EU delegation and the World Bank. Planned upgrades include weight‑in‑motion sensors, hazardous‑material monitoring and air‑pollution measurement on Corridor 10 (A1/E75), plus a national traffic‑management centre.

The EU donated 18 new vehicles to the State Transport Inspectorate, and on 19 July police intensified traffic controls, detaining ten drivers for licence or vehicle‑category violations. On 28 July the Ministry of Interior warned of a surge in phishing attacks masquerading as Safe City notices.

On 30 July the Ministry of Internal Affairs confirmed that Safe City cameras became operational on the Gorenci‑Trebenista highway segment in Debarca, continuously recording speeding, red‑light runs and expired registrations. Additional units are in final testing for the Ohrid region, with May‑2026 data showing 28 494 violations, chiefly for speeding, underscoring the system’s growing role in road safety.

Claims

What the coverage asserts, and how well corroborated each claim is across sources.

[● 3 SOURCES] The Ministry of Interior of North Macedonia reported a recent surge in phishing attacks via SMS, email, websites, mobile apps and social media. (All three articles)
[● 3 SOURCES] The fraudulent messages claim to be issued by the Department for Motor Vehicles' 'Safe City' system. (All three articles)
[● 3 SOURCES] The messages contain a fake link formatted as https://safecountry.mvr.gov.mk. (All three articles)
[● 3 SOURCES] Recipients are urged to pay an alleged traffic violation through the fake link. (All three articles)
[● 3 SOURCES] The Ministry advises citizens not to open suspicious links, not to share personal data, verify sender addresses, use two‑factor authentication and report suspicious messages. (All three articles)
[● 3 SOURCES] The Computer Crime sector of the Ministry continues active investigations and measures to detect and sanction the perpetrators. (All three articles)
[● 3 SOURCES] The Ministry of Internal Affairs observed an increase in phishing attacks in the recent period. (Ministry of Internal Affairs of North Macedonia)
[● 3 SOURCES] Phishing messages impersonate the Department of Motor Vehicles and are presented as notifications from the 'Safe City' system. (Ministry of Internal Affairs of North Macedonia)
[● 3 SOURCES] The fraudulent messages contain a link that directs citizens to pay for a fictitious traffic violation. (Ministry of Internal Affairs of North Macedonia)
[● 3 SOURCES] Official SMS notifications for traffic violations must be sent by the sender code 'MVR‑SC'. (Ministry of Internal Affairs of North Macedonia)
[● 3 SOURCES] The SMS text must include the vehicle registration plate and a link in the format https://safecountry.mvr.gov.mk. (Ministry of Internal Affairs of North Macedonia)
[● 3 SOURCES] The Cybercrime Unit of the Ministry is actively investigating and taking measures to identify and punish the perpetrators. (Cybercrime Unit, Ministry of Internal Affairs of North Macedonia)

Timeline

1 day ago

[TECHNOLOGY] 2 sources
Macedonia activates 'Safe City' traffic cameras in Debarca and Ohrid
Macedonia's police have activated the 'Safe City' traffic camera system on the Gorenci‑Trebenista highway in Debarca and are finalizing cameras near Ohrid to monitor speeding, red‑light runs and expired‑plate违规
3 days ago

[CRIME] 7 sources
Macedonian police warn of phishing scams posing as Safe City traffic notices
Macedonia’s Ministry of Internal Affairs warns of phishing scams using fake ‘Safe City’ traffic notices, urging citizens to verify messages from “MVR‑SC”, avoid clicking links and not share personal data.
12 days ago

[CRIME] 4 sources
North Macedonia police detain 10 unlicensed drivers, including two minors
North Macedonian police detained 10 people for driving without licences, including two minors in Mercedes, after nationwide traffic checks; vehicles were seized and charges pending.
18 days ago

[POLITICS] 5 sources
North Macedonia upgrades road safety with EU vehicle donation and new intelligent transport system laws
North Macedonia's transport minister Aleksandar Nikoloski announced law changes to install intelligent transport systems on highways and an EU donation of 18 patrol vehicles to boost road safety.
21 days ago

[CRIME] 4 sources
Republika Srpska and Macedonia police log hundreds of serious traffic violations
Police in Republika Srpska and Macedonia recorded hundreds of serious traffic violations after new, stricter road‑safety laws were applied.
22 days ago

[TECHNOLOGY] 2 sources
Safe City traffic monitoring system launched in Debar, North Macedonia
North Macedonia deploys the Safe City traffic system in Debar, installing cameras and mobile units to cut speeding and accidents.
24 days ago

[POLITICS] 4 sources
North Macedonia expands Safe City traffic camera enforcement on corridors to Greece
North Macedonia's Safe City camera system now monitors speed and other violations on corridors to Greece, sending real‑time data to police who can stop foreign vehicles and issue fines.
27 days ago

[CRIME] 4 sources
North Macedonia to fine foreign-registered vehicles for traffic violations
Macedonia’s “City of Safety” system logged 130k traffic violations, mainly speeding, and will soon fine foreign‑registered drivers at border crossings via SMS/app.
about 1 month ago

[POLITICS] 2 sources
North Macedonia's Safe City system targets foreign‑plate vehicles
North Macedonia's Safe City cameras now fine any driver, domestic or foreign, for traffic violations, as part of a new joint border safety initiative with Serbia.
about 1 month ago

[POLITICS] 3 sources
Macedonia's 'Safe City' system reduces traffic fatalities by 40%
Macedonia's 'Safe City' traffic system, launched in December, cut daily violations by about 50% and reduced road deaths by 40% in its first five months, from 55 to 33 fatalities.
about 1 month ago

[POLITICS] 3 sources
Macedonia's 'Safe City' programme cuts traffic deaths by 40% in five months
Macedonia's 'Safe City' traffic safety system cut road deaths by 40% in five months, with daily violations falling to 500‑600 and further expansion planned.
about 1 month ago

[CRIME] 3 sources
North Macedonia's Safe City system cuts traffic accidents by 40%
North Macedonia’s Safe City cameras logged 120,000 violations in five months, cut traffic deaths by 40% and helped seize 6.2 t of drugs while dismantling dozens of crime groups, Minister Pançe Toshkovski said.
about 1 month ago

[POLITICS] 2 sources
Macedonia's 'Safe City' system logs 120,000 traffic violations and cuts road deaths by 40%
Macedonia's 'Safe City' traffic monitoring system logged over 120,000 violations in its first five months, mainly speeding, and reduced road deaths by about 40 %.
about 1 month ago

[TECHNOLOGY] 2 sources
Ohri Police Deploy “Safe City” Traffic Monitoring System
Ohri’s traffic police started a phased rollout of the “Safe City” monitoring system on 25 June 2026, activating highway cameras near Novo Sella and planning expansion to nearby roads, aiming to reduce accidents
about 1 month ago

[TECHNOLOGY] 2 sources
Ohrid, North Macedonia Implements Safe City Traffic Surveillance System
Ohrid traffic police in North Macedonia have begun deploying the Safe City system, installing cameras on the Novo Selo highway post and planning expansion to nearby routes; the devices are still in testing and,

Sources

aktuale.mk · alsat.mk · biznisvesti.mk · centar.mk · denesen.mk · ernesthuska.blog.sme.sk · faktiditor.ch · gazeta.mk · infoshqip.com · koha.mk · kurir.rs · lajmpress.org · libertas.mk · lider.mk · mkd.mk · mondo.rs · opserver.mk · plusinfo.mk · portalb.mk · press24.mk · racin.mk · reporter.mk · shenja.tv · sitel.com.mk · skopjeinfo.mk · slobodenpecat.mk · telegrafi.com · tetovasot.com · tocka.com.mk · tv21.tv · tvm.mk · vecer.mk · veriu.info · vmro-dpmne.org.mk · zhurnal.mk · zoom.mk · zurnal.mk · zvornikdanas.com

This summary has been updated 2 times: see revision history