By Mandere Onyinkwa
When the message buzzed onto his phone, James Muthoni thought it was just another routine alert.
It warned of a pending traffic fine, showed a convincing breakdown of an alleged parking offence, and urged him to pay quickly to avoid penalties.
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The link looked official, the language sounded urgent, and, for a moment, he almost clicked.
“I was worried because it looked exactly like government platforms I’ve used before,” he said.
“It even had a deadline and a discount if I paid fast.”
James is one of many Kenyans who have recently received fraudulent SMS messages claiming to be from the National Transport and Safety Authority (NTSA).
The messages direct recipients to a fake website, ntsca.cc, where unsuspecting motorists are pressured to pay alleged traffic fines.
NTSA has now issued a public fraud alert, warning that the site is not affiliated with the Authority and that fraudsters are exploiting fear and urgency to steal money.
Screenshots shared online show a familiar-looking interface listing “pending fines,” complete with offence descriptions and payment prompts — a design meant to mimic legitimate government systems.
“These messages are crafted to appear authentic and to rush people into making payments without verification,” NTSA said in a statement, adding that it is working with investigative agencies to trace those behind the scam.
For some victims, the realization comes too late.
A Nairobi-based driver who asked not to be named said he lost money after clicking the link and paying the amount demanded.
“It was only after the payment went through that I noticed the website address didn’t look right,” he said.
NTSA has urged the public to remain vigilant: do not click links in suspicious messages, do not reply, and never make payments through unfamiliar platforms.
Anyone who has already paid is advised to contact their bank immediately to block or reverse the transaction and to delete the message.
The Authority emphasized that its official SMS notifications only come from the short names NTSA and 22847_NTSA, and that all legitimate information is available on its website, ntsa.go.ke.
