Don't Click Randomly, Kotim Police Chief Warns of the Dangers of Fake E-Toll

SAMPIT - The East Kotawaringin (Kotim) Police Chief, Central Kalimantan, AKBP Resky Maulana Zulkarnain appealed to the public to be more vigilant against the prevalence of electronic fines or E-Tilang scams circulating through short messages.

"For the public, we urge them to be more vigilant, considering that we are currently in the digital era, so it is important to have knowledge about digital in the community itself," said Resky in Sampit, Antara, Monday, January 12.

The appeal was made following numerous reports from residents regarding short messages (SMS) that purportedly notified E-Fine and included suspicious links. This type of message is considered disturbing and has the potential to cause material losses and theft of personal data.

Resky emphasized that digital knowledge is the main fortress so that people are not easily trapped by cyber crimes with the fine-parking fine modus. He emphasized that the official E-Tilang notification is never sent via SMS from an unknown number.

"E-Toll is officially sent via verified WhatsApp or blue check, email, or physical letter through PT Pos Indonesia," he said.

According to Resky, a valid E-Toll message will contain a photo of the violation, details of the time and location of the incident, as well as official and verified links, such as confirmation-etle.polri.go.id. On the other hand, fake messages are generally urgent, press the recipient to act immediately, and accompanied by unclear links.

"Therefore, the public is urged not to carelessly click on the links received," he said.

To prevent losses, the Kotim Police Chief asked residents who received suspicious messages to immediately verify directly with the police and not panic or follow the instructions in the message.

The Kotim Police have also prepared a communication channel for the public to ensure the accuracy of information, including through the 110 Call Center service which can be contacted for free. In addition, residents can come directly to the Kotim Police Satlantas Office by bringing or showing the message received for follow-up.

"We hope that with the rapid coordination of the community, we can mitigate all forms of potential fraud from an early stage," said Resky.