LAHORE: The Punjab Safe Cities Authority (PSCA) has once again strongly warned people of a group of fraudsters and swindlers sending fake SMS messages in the name of e-challans in an attempt to dupe the public.

According to a PSCA spokesperson, the scammers are sending fake e-challan notifications through SMS messages from different mobile numbers, along with fraudulent links, which they use to get people’s banking information or to illegally extract money from them.

The spokesperson clarifies that the official e-challan messages are only sent from the PSCA official number -- 9915. Furthermore, the official SMS messages neither contain any links, nor instruct the recipients to make online payments.

The spokesperson further states that if any message received from 9915 contains a link or requests bank account details, ATM card information, or other financial data, recipients should exercise caution, as PSCA never asks for online payments or banking information through SMS. He advised people against clicking on suspicious links or making payments through unverified websites.

He says that an e-challan can only be verified through the official PSCA websiteechallan.psca.gop.pk, while payments can be made through e-Pay Punjab mobile application by generating a PSID. people can contact emergency helpline 15 and select ‘Option 6’ for the facility, he adds.

The spokesperson says the crackdown on the fraudsters involved in creating fake websites and misleading people in the name of PSCA has been intensified.

The PSCA is pursuing a zero-tolerance policy against the scammers targeting unsuspecting citizens, and a strict action is being taken against them, he adds.

Published in Dawn, March 14th, 2026