Did you find a 100-euro traffic ticket under the windshield wiper of your car? Don’t rush to pay it. A scam has become widespread in Bratislava: drivers are being targeted en masse with fake violation notices.
On November 4, residents of the Dúbravka district in Bratislava discovered fake fine notices on the windshields of their cars. The notices, which imitated an official document from the city police (Mestská polícia), demanded payment of 100 euros to a specified bank account. The city police officially stated that they have no connection to these “fines” and are already investigating the incident as a possible criminal offense.
What happened in Dúbravka?
On the morning of November 4, drivers on several streets in the Dúbravka district—Karola Adlera, Koprivnická, Pekníkova, Galbavého, and Jadranská—found fake parking violation notices on their cars. The scammers struck at night, slipping the slips of paper under windshield wipers.
The Bratislava Municipal Police confirmed that these documents are forgeries. Law enforcement officials emphasize that they never collect fines in this manner—they do not place notices demanding payment under windshield wipers. According to preliminary data, artificial intelligence may have been used to create the forgeries, and the logo on the document is noticeably different from the genuine one. The State Police (Policajný zbor SR) is already investigating the matter.
How to Tell a Genuine Fine from a Fake One
Fraud schemes are becoming increasingly convincing, but there are several signs that will help you spot a fake and protect your money.
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Method of notification. The municipal police do not leave receipts under windshield wipers demanding immediate payment to a bank account. If you violated parking regulations in a PAAS paid parking zone, the fine will most likely be sent by mail to the vehicle owner’s address under the principle of strict liability (inštitút objektívnej zodpovednosti). A police officer may leave a notice of the violation, but it will not include payment details—only information on next steps.
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Payment details. Genuine fines are paid to official city or police accounts, not to private or suspicious bank accounts. Any request to transfer money to an unknown IBAN should immediately raise suspicion.
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Appearance of the document. Look closely at the details: print quality, the presence of errors, and official logos and stamps. In the case of the scam in Dubravka, the police logo on the forgery differed significantly from the genuine one. A genuine notice will also include handwritten details: the vehicle’s license plate number, location, date, time of the violation, and the police officer’s identification number.
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QR codes. Although some official documents may have QR codes, they usually lead to an informational page, not directly to a payment gateway. Scammers, on the other hand, often use QR codes to redirect you to phishing sites in order to steal your credit card information.
What to Do If You Find Such a “Ticket”
If you find a suspicious fine notice on your car, here’s what you should do:
1️⃣ Don’t pay anything. This is the most important thing. Don’t rush to transfer money using the provided details. 2️⃣ Do not scan QR codes. Avoid scanning any codes on suspicious pieces of paper so you don’t fall victim to phishing. 3️⃣ Notify the police. Report your discovery to the municipal police at 159 or the national police at 158. This will help law enforcement track the fraudsters’ activities. We’ve compiled other important phone numbers in Slovakia in our guide. 4️⃣ Verify the information. If you have doubts about whether a violation actually occurred, you can always contact the city police for clarification.
Stay vigilant and warn your friends and neighbors about this scam. Being vigilant will help protect you and others from financial loss.
Source URLs (use 1–2 of them)
- https://bratislava.dnes24.sk/vodici-pozor-v-dubravke-sa-za-stieracmi-zacali-objavovat-falosne-oznamenia-o-pokute-461325
- https://www.autoolymp.sk/clanok/falosne-pokuty-v-dubravke-vyzvy-ziadali-100-eur
