"Garda speeding fine" text scam
A text that claims to be from An Garda Síochána about an unpaid Fixed Charge Notice — a speeding or traffic fine — with a link to "pay now before it goes to court". The link leads to a fake payment page that captures your card and personal details. An Garda Síochána and FraudSMART have warned about this pattern; it is circulating in Ireland through 2026.
What the scam looks like
A message arrives, often addressing you generically, that claims:
- You have an unpaid Fixed Charge Notice (FCN) for a speeding or traffic offence.
- The fine must be paid immediately via the link, or the amount will increase, "points" will be applied, or the matter will be "referred to the District Court".
- A more recent variant dresses the message up as a court summons, complete with a fake case number and sometimes an invented judge's name, to make it feel official and urgent.
The link goes to a page styled to look like a government payment portal, on a domain that is not garda.ie or gov.ie. It asks for your card number, expiry, CVV and often your name, address and vehicle registration. Whatever you enter is taken; the "fine" is simply a charge to your card and a harvest of your details.
How to recognise it — the categorical rule
An Garda Síochána does not issue Fixed Charge Notices, or demand payment for them, by text message. Every genuine FCN is sent by post. If a "speeding fine" or "traffic fine" arrives as an SMS with a payment link, it is — by the rule — a scam, no matter how official it looks or what case number it quotes.
Additional give-aways:
- The link domain is not
garda.ieor agov.ieaddress. Hover or long-press to reveal it before tapping. - The message creates time pressure ("pay within 24 hours", "before it goes to court").
- It asks for card or bank details directly on the linked page — the genuine fixed-charge system does not work by chasing you over SMS.
- A generic greeting, odd phrasing, or a sender that is a mobile number or short code you don't recognise.
Why this scam works when it works
Most drivers cannot be completely certain they never tripped a speed van or a junction camera, so "unpaid speeding fine" lands as plausible rather than absurd. Add the fear of penalty points, a rising fine, or a court date, and the urgency does the rest. The court-summons variant raises the stakes further — a case number and a judge's name feel like something you cannot ignore.
What to do if you received it but haven't responded
- Don't tap the link. Don't reply.
- Forward the SMS to 7726 (the free national "SPAM" reporting short code).
- Report a phishing message impersonating the Gardaí to reportphishing@garda.ie.
- If you want to be sure you have no genuine outstanding fine, check the official route only: An Garda Síochána's Fixed Charge Notices information, never the link in the text.
What to do if you tapped the link and entered card details
Contact your bank or card provider's fraud line immediately
Use the number on the back of your card, not any number from the text. Freeze or cancel the card.
Watch for transactions over the next 48 hours
Scam card captures are often tested with a small charge before a larger one. Report anything you didn't authorise.
If you reused that card's PIN or a password anywhere, change it
Work through the wider lockdown sequence in First 24 hours.
Report to An Garda Síochána
Your local station, for a PULSE incident number. The reference matters for any bank dispute or claim.
Primary sources
- An Garda Síochána — Fixed Charge Notices (how genuine FCNs are actually issued and paid).
- An Garda Síochána — scam warning, phone calls and texts.
- FraudSMART / BPFI — Garda text-message scam alert.
Related
- MyGovID impersonation phishing — the same trick wearing a different state uniform.
- First 24 hours after a compromise
- Protect yourself — checklist