{
  "id": 8245185,
  "title": "Lagos warns motorists against fake traffic fine messages",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/18/lagos-warns-motorists-against-fake-traffic-fine-messages-8245185",
  "topic": "tech",
  "section": "Tech",
  "published": "2026-09-18T12:48:42.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Punch Nigeria",
    "slug": "punch-nigeria",
    "url": "https://punchng.com/lagos-warns-motorists-against-fake-traffic-fine-messages/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": null,
  "summary": "The Lagos State Ministry of Transportation has issued a warning to motorists and the public against fraudulent text messages and malicious links that aim to deceive individuals into revealing sensitive personal and banking information. The ministry's advisory, shared on its X handle, urges motorists to avoid clicking on unverified links, sharing personal information, or making payments through third-party platforms. It stresses that these fraudulent messages and websites may appear to offer opportunities to settle alleged traffic offences but are designed to obtain confidential information from unsuspecting victims. The ministry further cautions motorists against platforms offering discounts on traffic penalties, emphasizing that all official statutory fines are strictly fixed and can only be verified through the state’s approved platforms, namely payvis.ng and tms.lagosstate.gov.ng.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 2,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "Punch",
        "title": "Lagos warns motorists against fake traffic fine messages",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/18/lagos-warns-motorists-against-fake-traffic-fine-messages",
        "published": "2026-09-18T12:46:42.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}