Beware of fake SMS HGS scams: They trick you with the message "A toll has not been paid"

The messages often contain links to fake payment pages. People who click these links enter their credit card or banking information, falling prey to scammers.

Experts note that the sender number in such messages is often not the official institution number, and the links contain different and suspicious extensions instead of official domain names such as "ptt.gov.tr."

DO NOT TRADE OUTSIDE OFFICIAL CHANNELS

Authorities emphasize that inquiries regarding HGS or OGS payments should only be made through e-Government, the PTT official website, and mobile apps. They recommend reporting suspicious SMS messages to the Information and Communication Technologies Authority (BTK) hotline or the cybercrime unit.

Experts are reminding that creating panic with phrases like "Urgent payment" or "Penalty will be applied" is the most common method used by scammers and are warning citizens not to click on links in incoming messages.