FINES SA, a smart traffic fine platform, is warning South African motorists about a surge in fraudulent traffic fine SMSes circulating nationwide.

Fines SA stresses 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 Barry Berman, CEO of Fines SA.

“The messages look convincing, but 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.”

In these scams, motorists typically receive an SMS or WhatsApp message warning of an outstanding fine or imminent penalties.

The link provided leads to a cloned website that closely resembles an official payment platform.

A key red flag to look out for is that these links do not direct users to www.finessa.co.za, which is Fines SA’s only official website.

Fines SA advises motorists 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,” said Berman.

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

“With scam tactics becoming more sophisticated, verification is critical. 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 downloading the Fines SA app on iOS, Android and Huawei.

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