More scam texts have been impacting Virginians. This time, they’re impersonating the DMV.
Virginia State Police and other law enforcement agencies around the region, such as the Henry County Sheriff’s Office, the Blacksburg Police Department, and the Lynchburg Police Department, have been working to keep residents safe and aware of these scams.
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“The DMV will never send you text messages demanding payment for fines or fees. We urge our customers to be vigilant and avoid sending your personal information via text.”
Gerald Lackey, DMV Commissioner
The texts state themselves to be the DMV, and oftentimes say that this is the “final notice.” These texts claim you have an outstanding fine, toll, or ticket payment, and threaten monetary or legal consequences for not paying the fee. They then include a fake link, where they ask you to send your money.
The DMV listed some tips from the Federal Trade Commission on how to avoid falling for these scam texts:
- 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.