Motorists are being warned to stay alert to a growing number of fake “ghost fine” scams ahead of South Africa’s new Administrative Adjudication of Road Traffic Offences (Aarto) rollout on 1 December 2025.
According to Fines SA, reports of fraudulent traffic fine notices have surged as scammers exploit confusion around the incoming demerit system. Victims are typically targeted through SMS, WhatsApp or cloned websites that appear identical to official municipal platforms.
“The messages look legitimate, same logos, same wording, but direct motorists to unsafe websites. Once payment is made, the funds disappear and the fine still stands,” says Barry Berman, CEO of Fines SA.
The scam involves sending motorists fake notifications about outstanding fines, often urging immediate payment “to avoid penalties.” These messages link to fake payment portals where funds are diverted into fraudulent accounts.
Aarto confusion fuels risk
The Aarto Act will introduce a demerit system linking traffic fines to licence points. Repeat offences can lead to licence suspension or cancellation, yet many motorists remain unclear about the new system, a gap scammers are exploiting.
The South African Banking Risk Information Centre (Sabric) has also reported a surge in digital fraud across sectors. Digital banking fraud accounted for 65.3% of reported cases in 2024, with incidents rising from 31,612 in 2023 to 64,000 last year.
Losses climbed from R1bn to more than R1.4bn, driven largely by social engineering rather than technical breaches.
Globally, phishing attempts increased by 26% in 2024, according to Kaspersky, while South Africa recorded a 134% jump in corporate-targeted phishing attacks in the third quarter of 2023 alone.
How motorists can protect themselves
Motorists are urged to:
- Avoid clicking on links in unsolicited messages.
- Verify fines directly through official municipal portals or trusted platforms.
- Check that payment pages use secure HTTPS connections and correct domain names.
- Contact authorities directly before making payment.
“Fraudsters are taking advantage of motorists’ urgency to comply before Aarto takes effect,” says Berman. “If in doubt, stop and check, a few minutes of verification could save you thousands.”
Fines SA says it consolidates data from more than 250 municipalities and routes payments directly to verified municipal accounts. Users can verify and settle legitimate fines via its official website (FinesSA.co.za) or app.
