Fines SA, South Africa’s leading smart traffic fine platform, has issued a warning to motorists about a surge in fraudulent traffic fine SMSes currently circulating nationwide.

The company says it has recorded a sharp increase in consumer enquiries related to scam messages claiming motorists have outstanding traffic fines that require immediate payment.

These messages often include links to fake payment pages designed to closely resemble legitimate municipal or traffic fine platforms.

Fines SA has stressed that it does not send traffic fine notifications via SMS.

“We’ve seen a noticeable spike in motorists contacting us to check whether SMSes they’ve received are legitimate,” said Fines SA CEO Barry Berman.

“The messages look convincing, but they are designed to create urgency and panic. Once someone clicks a link and pays on an unsafe site, the money is gone and no fine has actually been settled.”

According to the company, scammers typically send SMS or WhatsApp messages warning of an outstanding fine or threatening penalties such as licence suspension or additional charges.

The links included in these messages lead to cloned websites that closely mimic official payment platforms.

A major red flag, Fines SA warns, is that these links do not direct users to www.finessa.co.za which is the company’s only official website.

ALSO READ: WATCH: City addresses controversy over issuing and processing of traffic fines

Any payments made on these fake sites are diverted to criminals, leaving motorists out of pocket and still liable for legitimate fines.

Motorists are urged to treat any unsolicited fine related message with caution and to avoid clicking on links or making payments based on SMS notifications.

“The safest approach is to stop and independently verify,” Berman said.

“Rather than reacting to a message, motorists should check their fine status directly through a secure, verified platform. If the link does not come from our official website or app, it is not legitimate.”

Fines SA offers motorists a secure alternative through its official website and mobile app, where users can check and manage traffic fines safely.

The platform consolidates verified fine data from more than 250 municipalities, representing over 90% of traffic fine issuing authorities in South Africa.

All payments made via the platform are processed through secure, verified channels and paid directly into municipal accounts, reducing the risk associated with fraudulent payment sites that rely on unverified EFT details or cloned webpages.

Through the platform, motorists can view outstanding fines, settle eligible fines, some with discounts of up to 50%, receive real time updates and access support without relying on unsolicited notifications.

“With scam tactics becoming more sophisticated, verification is critical,” Berman added. “A few minutes spent checking through a trusted platform can prevent financial loss and unnecessary stress. Our goal is to give motorists a safe, transparent way to confirm and settle fines without the risk.”

Motorists can verify fines by visiting www.finessa.co.za or by downloading the Fines SA app on iOS, Android and Huawei devices.

ALSO READ: R55 000 worth of traffic fines issued