A data and elections analyst has warned Filipinos about a scam message claiming to notify them of a supposed traffic violation..

On Monday, November 3, TV5 Chief Data and Elections Analyst Edson Guido shared a screengrab of a text message he received from a number impersonating the Land Transportation Office (LTO).

The message falsely claimed that Guido had an “unsettled violation” related to the Republic Act 10913 also known as the Anti-Distracted Driving Act, alleging that he was caught “using” his mobile phone “while driving.”

The scam message also said that Guido needed to pay a penalty fee of P1,000 “due within 24 hours.”

“Failure to settle may result in additional penalties, license suspension, or alarm block,” it added.

The message included a hyperlink that claimed to be the official website of the LTO.

“SCAM ALERT! Guys, kung makatanggap kayo ng ganitong text na meron kayong traffic violation, HUWAG ninyong i-click ang link. SCAM ‘yan! Please share at huwag po tayong magpaloko,” Guido wrote on the X (formerly Twitter) platform.

SCAM ALERT!

Guys, kung makatanggap kayo ng ganitong text na meron kayong traffic violation, HUWAG ninyong i-click ang link. SCAM yan!

Please share at huwag po tayong magpaloko. pic.twitter.com/FBlerRGSg2

— Edson C. Guido (@EdsonCGuido) November 3, 2025

Guido’s post has so far garnered 67,700 views, over 800 likes, and more than 530 reposts.

“Buti na lang nabasa ko ‘to. Just received one,” an online user commented.

“Lto-gov-ph should make you block it already, and the .com made it even more [suspicious],” another wrote.

“Haha, nakatangap ako ng ganyang [message], eh wala naman akong sasakyan, like, duh… Grabe na talaga mga scammer ngayon,” a different Pinoy commented.

The legitimate hyperlink should be https://portal.lto.gov.ph 

Meanwhile, text hijacking is a tactic used by scammers to make messages appear as though they come from official numbers, even when they contain red flags, such as poor grammar or overly casual language.

The government has warned that scammers trick recipients by sending messages with malicious links designed to access their accounts or credit card information without authorization.

According to a telecommunications firm, these fraudsters can deceive people by using fake cell towers to send text scams by using legitimate names of entities as the sender’s name.

Additionally, the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority clarified that those with traffic violations under the No Contact Apprehension Policy (NCAP) should receive an email and a text message from “[email protected]” and “MMDA_NCAP,” respectively.