Reports for the False verbal scam which is spreading in different Italian cities: the phenomenon has been reported to Pisaa Catania and, more recently, a Florencewhere several tens of motorists have found on the windshield – or in the mailbox – false contravention notices that seem official in every detail (verbal number, article of the highway code, car license plate, the name of the agent and even QR code for payment) but are artfully studied for subtract money from those who receive them asking for payments for road infringements that have not actually been made. Let’s see more in detail How to distinguish fake minutes from the authentic ones and defend yourself.
How to distinguish false minutes from authentic ones
To make these scams insidious is the care with which the lines reproduce the graphics and bureaucratic language of the authentic counterparties. It must be said, however, that some differences allow you to distinguish false minutes from authentic ones: For example, the official symbols of the Municipality are reproduced or reproduced in a coarse way, the typographical characters do not coincide with the standard ones, the formulation of the texts is more schematic and sometimes refuses appear as “despotivative” instead of “device”. The payment terms are also a clue: in the fakes there is talk of 15 days to obtain the discount, while in the authentic minutes the reduction is valid within 5 days following the issue of the fine.
Another important clue to recognize a fake fine by an authentic one concerns Payment methods indicated in the same. While the official reports report well -recognizable institutional channels, such as the premarkful postal bulletin or the Pagopa platform, also accessible through the IO app, the false ones often direct to payments via IBAN registered to private individuals or unknown companies, or to websites that imitate the official portals in a rudimentary way. The QR code is another point to verify: the real one brings to Pagopa and can only be read through official apps, while that of the fake minutes opens with any reader and leads to non -institutional pages.
How to defend themselves from the scam of the false minutes
According to consumer associations, one of the first steps to protect themselves is do not blindly trust the information indicated in the alleged reportbut directly seek the official contact details of the Municipality or the Municipal Police and ask for confirmation of what is notified. It is also worth checking carefully that all the data are consistent: the plaque, the vehicle model, the precise place of the infringement, the date and time. If something does not come back, it is highly likely that it is an attempt to fraud.
These false fines are not an isolated episode, but the latest evolution of scams that over time have taken on different shapes. A few months ago, for example, e-mails and messages with fake calls of the Revenue Agency or false judicial calls were circulating, who invited to pay to avoid judicial proceedings. In other cases, scammers could take advantage of infected attachments or links to spread cyberhics, such as ransomware capable of blocking computers up to the payment of a redemption.
Now, it seems that one of the latest trends in IT criminals is to translate similar scams to the offline world. A few months ago in Switzerland, for example, the population had to deal with the so -called postman’s scam, which consisted in the reception by the post of false communications by the Swiss Meteorology Office that invited to download (through the scan of a QR Code) a new app useful in the event of natural disasters. In Italy, however, a few months ago the scam of false QR code in paid parking spaces spread.
For defend you from these scams In the physical world, apply the same principles of behavior to be adopted in the virtual world: keep your eyes always openly open, calmly read every detail of a possible communication that passes through “official” and, in case of doubts, contact the competent offices directly.
