Outstanding Traffic Fines? Don’t Wait Until It’s Too Late
- The Dealers Group
- Nov 5
- 2 min read
There’s a new wave of alerts hitting drivers across South Africa — and it’s time to take notice. According to a recent article from BusinessTech, motorists with outstanding fines are being targeted by scammers posing as traffic authorities.
What’s going on
The upcoming rollout of the Administrative Adjudication of Road Traffic Offences (AARTO) Act is stirring confusion. Its first major phase kicks off 1 December 2025, covering 69 major metros.
Fraudsters are exploiting the uncertainty by sending fake SMSes, WhatsApp messages and cloning official-payment sites to trick drivers into paying bogus “ghost fines”.
The new AARTO system will shift many traffic violations out of the criminal-court process into administrative adjudication — which means you can no longer rely on the old excuses like “I never received the notice”.
Why you should care
Ignoring fines or paying into fake sites can leave you worse off. If the fine isn’t properly settled:
You could end up with demerit points (!) — repeats could lead to suspension of licences when the full system is in motion.
Your vehicle licence or driving licence renewal could be blocked if you’re flagged.
You lose money and still carry the fine — the scammer walked away, you didn’t.
What to do
Here are quick steps you can take to protect yourself:
Verify any fine you receive — check official municipal or provincial traffic websites.
Avoid clicking unknown links asking for immediate payment, especially if wording seems urgent or threatening.
If you’re unsure, call the traffic department directly using contact information from a trusted source (not from the suspicious message!).
Keep records of all your notices, payments and correspondence.
Plan ahead: once the AARTO demerit system is in effect, the consequences for non-compliance escalate.
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