Beware of the scam SMS about an unpaid fine (fake Ministry of Interior)

These days people are receiving a scam SMS that scares them with an unpaid fine and pushes them to pay through a link. It looks inconspicuous, but it is a scam that targets your personal and payment data. We will show you what it looks like, how to recognize it and what to do.

What the scam looks like

First an SMS arrives, reading (in Slovak, without diacritics): “Pay your unpaid accounts as soon as possible; otherwise late interest will be charged.” and a link to the address minv.koiou.net.

After clicking, a fake site opens that imitates the website of the Slovak Ministry of Interior (e-Gov). It claims that an unpaid traffic fine is registered against your vehicle and asks you to enter the vehicle registration number and “pay” the fine.

A new wave: “traffic violation”

In July 2026 another variant of the same scheme appeared, which one of our readers flagged for us (thank you, Tomáš B.). The message pretends to come from a sender called “MVSR” and reads (in Slovak, without diacritics): “A traffic violation has been recorded. Check the status by entering your vehicle registration number.” with a link to oo14.cc/sk.

It is the same scam, only with a different pretext and a different domain. Instead of an “unpaid fine” it scares you with a “traffic violation”, and the link leads to a short foreign domain oo14.cc (the .cc suffix belongs to the Cocos Islands, not the Slovak state). The goal stays the same: to get you onto a fake site where, after you enter the registration number, they ask for your payment card details.

How to recognize the scam

• A fake address (domain). The link uses a foreign domain such as minv.koiou.net or oo14.cc, not the official minv.sk. Real government sites end in .sk (and .gov.sk), never on a foreign domain like koiou.net or oo14.cc. This is the clearest sign of a scam.
• A fake sender name. The fact that the message appears to come from “MVSR” or “Police” means nothing. An SMS sender name is easy to spoof, and such a message can even slot into an existing conversation thread. What matters is the content and above all the domain in the link.
• Bad language and missing diacritics. Clumsy, error-ridden wording with no proper diacritics. An authority does not write like this.
• Fear and time pressure. Threats like late interest, further sanctions, suspension of your driving license or a court summons are meant to cause panic so you act fast and do not think.
• A nonsensical request. The SMS talks about “unpaid accounts”, the site suddenly about a “traffic fine”. The scammers are firing blindly.
• It asks for sensitive data. First the registration number, then almost certainly payment card details. The state does not collect fines this way.

What the scammers want

To extract your payment card details and personal data. After you enter the card, they can take your money, or misuse the data or sell it on. Sometimes they also try to install a malicious app.

What to do when such an SMS arrives

• Do not click the link. If you clicked, do not enter anything and close the page.
• Do not verify the SMS through the link in it. Check the fine only via the official sites at minv.sk or slovensko.sk, which you type into the browser yourself.
• Delete the message and report it to be safe (you can block the number).

What to do if you already entered data

• Call your bank immediately and block the card. Banks have a non-stop line for reporting fraud.
• Watch the movements on your account and dispute unauthorized payments.
• If you used the same password elsewhere, change it.
• Report it to the police (emergency line 158).

How to protect yourself in the future

• Remember: neither the state nor a bank ever forces you to pay through a link in an SMS.
• Always check the whole address (domain) before “.sk” and after it.
• Under any pressure of “pay now, or else…” slow down and verify it through an official channel.

You will find more about similar scams in the articles phishing and fraudulent emails and fraudulent messages.

Conclusion

This scam SMS about an “unpaid fine” and the fake Ministry of Interior site have a single goal: to get your payment data. You recognize them by the foreign domain (minv.koiou.net instead of minv.sk), bad language and fear-mongering. Do not click, do not enter anything, and in case of doubt verify everything only via the official minv.sk or slovensko.sk. When more people know about the scam, fewer fall for it, so feel free to share this article.

This article is part of our Cybersecurity overview.