FASTag annual pass scam: fake sites selling the ₹3,075 pass, and the official way to buy it

Illustrative stock image via Unsplash. It does not depict the organisations named.

Lookalike websites, pushed up Google results with paid ads, sell a FASTag annual pass that never arrives. NHAI says the pass is sold only in its Rajmargyatra app. How the real pass works, how to spot a fake, and what to do if you paid.

01 / The short answer

Buy or renew the FASTag annual pass only in NHAI's Rajmargyatra app, installed from the Google Play Store or Apple App Store. On 5 August 2026 NHAI said the pass is available only through the app, and any other platform offering it is not authorised.

Already paid on a website? Call 1930 and your bank now. Section 05 has the steps.

02 / How the scam works

In February 2026 the Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (I4C) warned about websites impersonating NHAI's annual pass service. As media reported its advisory:

• The sites copy NHAI's name, logo and layout, and reach the top of Google with paid ads and search tricks, for searches like 'fastag annual pass' and 'fastag recharge'.
• You enter your vehicle details and pay, often by scanning a QR code.
• The money goes to mule bank accounts. No pass is activated, and the scammers keep your details.

OdishaBytes and The Live Nagpur, citing Financial Express, reported that I4C was tracking several complaints, with losses of about ₹3,000 per payment, the price then.

Why now: the first passes, sold from 15 August 2025, last a year, and Diwali and Chhath trips are close, so more people will search for the pass in a hurry. That is our inference, not an official warning.

03 / The real pass, and the official way to buy it

• Price: ₹3,075 from 1 April 2026 (it was ₹3,000).
• Validity: one year or 200 toll plaza crossings, whichever comes first. A round trip through one plaza counts as two. After that it works as a normal FASTag until you buy the pass again.
• Vehicles: private, non-commercial cars, jeeps and vans with a valid FASTag. It cannot be moved to another vehicle.
• Where: about 1,150 toll plazas on National Highways and National Expressways only. On state highways and state-run expressways, normal toll is charged.
• How: in the Rajmargyatra app, on your existing FASTag. No new tag needed. It activates within about two hours. To gift it, use 'Add Pass' in the app with the other person's vehicle number and an OTP sent to you.

A March 2026 government release also mentioned the NHAI website, but NHAI's latest advice names only the app. Problems with a real pass: call the 1033 National Highway Helpline.

04 / How to spot a fake site or ad

• You reached it from an ad, a 'Sponsored' result or a forwarded link. As reported, I4C says do not trust a site just because it ranks first.
• It asks you to scan a QR code or pay into a personal account. How QR payment scams work.
• The address only looks official. 'NHAI', 'FASTag' or 'Rajmargyatra' in a web address proves nothing. NHAI's own site is nhai.gov.in.
• A price other than ₹3,075, or a 'discount'.
• Someone offers to sell or activate it: an agent, a 'helpline', a Telegram group. As reported, NHAI says no third-party seller is authorised. Fake customer care numbers work the same way.

The same paid-ad trick sells crackers that never arrive.

05 / Paid on a fake site?

• Call 1930 at once, then complete the complaint on cybercrime.gov.in. Keep the payment screenshot, UTR number and the site's address. How to report.
• Call your bank on the number in its official app or on your card, report the payment as fraud and block the UPI or card you used. Bank fraud numbers.
• Report the ad to Google: on the ad, select More or Info, then 'Report ad', and name the site it impersonates.
• Got the link by SMS or WhatsApp? Report it on Chakshu.
• Then buy the real pass in the app. Ignore anyone offering to recover your money for a fee: what recovery really looks like.

Our lost-money checklist covers the first hour.

06 / Confirmed vs. reported

Confirmed (official): the pass rules (road transport ministry releases on PIB; IHMCL's FAQ); NHAI's 5 August 2026 post that the pass is sold only in Rajmargyatra; I4C's public advisory on fake pass sites (CyberDost on X, 16 February 2026). Reported (media): the advisory's details on Google ads, QR codes and mule accounts (The420.in, Trayaan, OdishaBytes); complaints tracked by I4C (OdishaBytes, The Live Nagpur). One outlet called the app 'HighwayYatra'; its name is Rajmargyatra. Our inference: more purchases and renewals around festival travel. Not available: official victim or loss figures.