South Africans who have been issued traffic fines have been warned to double check the source and any alerts around them, as there has been a spike in scams trying to trick drivers into paying into fake accounts, or to pay off “ghost” infringements.
According to the traffic fine platform, Fines SA, criminal elements are currently exploiting confusion and concern around the imminent rollout of the Administrative Adjudication of Road Traffic Offences (AARTO) system.
The AARTO will see its first major rollout from 1 December 2025, where it will be expanded to 69 major metros across the country.
This will be followed by the rollout of the system in another 144 municipalities on 1 April 2026, ending with the launch of the long-awaited driving demerit system in September 2026.
The rollout dates were officially gazetted at the start of August, but not before prominent news publications created mass confusion by publishing fake start dates.
These false reports initially pointed to a June 2025 start date, before “correcting” it to October 2025. Both dates were incorrect.
This confusion was exacerbated by the Department of Transport, which subsequently repeated the incorrect October start date, and then quickly corrected it to December 2025, which was gazetted soon after.
Amid this confusion, criminals started exploiting the mixed messaging by sending out fake SMSes, WhatsApp messages, and cloned websites that mimic official municipal and traffic fine platforms.
According to Fines SA, there has been a noticeable spike in complaints from motorists who were tricked into paying these non-existent fines.
“We’re seeing ghost fine scams spreading fast,” said Barry Berman, CEO of Fines SA. “The messages look legitimate, same logos, same wording, but they direct motorists to unsafe websites.”
“Once you’ve paid, your money’s gone and the fine still stands. Fraudsters are exploiting uncertainty and the public’s urgency to comply before AARTO takes effect.”
In the scams, victims typically receive a message claiming an outstanding fine and a link to pay “immediately to avoid penalties.”
The link opens a cloned payment page resembling a municipal or aggregator site. After payment, the funds vanish, and there is no official record of settlement.
“The best way to prevent falling victim to a scam is by deleting any suspicious notifications,” Berman said.
Berman added that the surge in “ghost fine” scams is also occurring amid a broader uptick in digital fraud in South Africa’s banking sector.
The confusion around AARTO intensifies the risk, he said.
Fines SA warned that the potential for further harm will only intensify in 2026 when the new demerit system kicks in.
This system will tie traffic fines directly to licence points, with repeat offences potentially leading to suspension or cancellation.
If scammers and fraudsters successfully dupe motorists into paying with no record of settlement, drivers could be out of pocket and still sitting with demerits.
How the new system will work
Under the current system, fines are issued in terms of the Criminal Procedure Act. This makes traffic violations a criminal process and regards all violations as criminal offences.
These offences are prosecuted by the NPA, mainly in the lower courts. As such, they also require strict administrative processes that often place the burden on the state to pursue offenders.
This includes notices being served through registered mail.
The AARTO Act will “decriminalise” most traffic violations and subject them to different administrative processes. While this appears more positive for drivers, the administrative changes flip the script.
The laws bring a three-step process in issuing fines:
- Infringement notice: Offenders will be hit with an infringement notice and notified either physically or electronically. They will have 32 days to pay the fine at a 50% discount.
- Courtesy letter: If the deadline is missed, the discount falls away, and an administrative penalty is added. Offenders will have 32 days to pay the full amount.
- Enforcement notice: If the second deadline is missed, another administrative penalty is added, and demerit points (when the system is operational) will be applied.
Once an enforcement notice is in effect, motorists will be blocked from having any NaTIS documents issued, including driving licences, professional driving permits or vehicle licence discs.
The old excuses of “not receiving the notices” also increasingly fall away, as each notice can be issued electronically through various digital channels, and the onus now falls on offenders to prove their case.
There are also no automatic rights to have the matter heard in court or to have summonses issued and served, as the fines are no longer under the CPA.
At every step, it is up to drivers or vehicle owners to make their case to have the fine reversed or redirected where necessary.
Simply put, ignoring fines won’t make them go away, and there are real-world consequences for individuals and businesses for not paying up.
With motorists still iffy about the system and ambiguity and unclear communication persisting about it, scammers are standing ready to exploit the gaps.
