RICHMOND, Va. (WAVY) — The Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles is warning residents after a recent scam where those posing as the DMV falsely claim residents of unpaid fines and tickets.
Texts are sent out to residents and after clicking the link, personal information is stolen.
“The DMV will never send you text messages demanding payment for fines or fees,” said DMV Commissioner Gerald Lackey. “We urge our customers to be vigilant and avoid sending your personal information via text.”
The Federal Trade Commission has provided tips to help you avoid these scams.
- Don’t click on any links in, or respond to, unexpected texts. Scammers want you to react quickly, but it’s best to stop and check it out.
- Check to see if the text is legit. Reach out to the agency using a phone number or website you know is real — not the info from the text.
- Report and delete unwanted text messages. Use your phone’s “report junk” option to report unwanted texts to your messaging app or forward them to 7726 (SPAM). Once you’ve checked it out and reported it, delete the text.
The Virginia Beach Sheriff’s Office warned residents of the scam on May 31, in which people received a text that read as followed:
Outstanding traffic ticket due by June 1st, if you do not comply by June 1st, we will take the following actions:
Report to DMV violation data base, suspend vehicle registration starting June 2nd, suspend driving privileges for 30 days, transfer to toll booth and charge 35% service fee, you may be prosecuted, and your credit score will be affected.
If you receive a suspicious text or other suspicious communications report it to the U.S. Federal Trade Commission.