Fact-Check: Seen the 'FASTag Scam' viral video? Here’s the truth

A video is being widely circulated on the social media which claims devices like smartwatches are being used to swipe the Fastag on vehicles to steal money from your account.

The viral video shows a child scanning the FASTag with his smartwatch while wiping the windshield of a car. Claiming it to be a biggest FASTag scam, the car driver said fraudsters have given smartwatches with scanners to children who beg at traffic signals and they steal money by scanning FASTag on the pretext of wiping the windshield of the car.

The government fact-check, Press Information Bureau (PIB) fact-checker, have refuted the claims, saying it is impossible to steal money using this method.

PIB Fact Check wrote on its Koo account: “A #viral Video claims that devices like watches are being used to swipe the #Fastag on vehicles, leading to fraudulent deduction of money from prepaid wallets. #PIBFactCheck: This Video is #FAKE. Such transactions are not possible. Each Toll Plaza has a unique code”. 

Koo App

A #viral Video claims that devices like watches are being used to swipe the #Fastag on vehicles, leading to fraudulent deduction of money from prepaid wallets. #PIBFactCheck: ?? This Video is #FAKE ?? Such transactions are not possible ?? Each Toll Plaza has a unique code

View attached media content

- PIB Fact Check (@PIBFactCheck) 25 June 2022

The National Payments Council of India has also clarified that FASTag operated only for person-to-merchant transactions. An individual can not receive money in the ecosystem and only authorised system integrators are allowed to participate for specific plazas and initiate payment transactions.

Transactions can also not take place in open internet connectivity. "Every acquirer bank is provided with a unique acquire ID (AID). The combination of the plaza code and bank acquirer ID is mapped at the NPCI end. Geo-location of every merchant (plaza) has been stored at respective acquirer banks and NPCI," NPCI said.

What is Fastag?

FASTag is a Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) passive tag used for making toll payments directly from the customers linked prepaid or savings/current account. It is affixed on the windscreen of the vehicle and enables the customer to drive through toll plazas, without stopping for any toll payments. The toll fare is directly deducted from the linked account of the customer. FASTag is also vehicle specific and once it is affixed to a vehicle, it cannot be transferred to another vehicle. FASTag can be purchased from any of the NETC Member Banks. If a FASTag is linked to the prepaid account, then it needs to be recharged/ topped-up as per the usage of the customer. If adequate balance is not maintained by the customer, the FASTag gets blacklisted at the toll plaza. In such a scenario if the customer travels through a toll plaza without recharging then he won't be able to avail the NETC services and would be required to pay the toll fare through cash.