Drivers in the United States are being cautioned about a new wave of deceptive text messages aimed at stealing personal and financial information, as reported by various Departments of Motor Vehicles (DMVs). These fraudulent texts, known as “smishing” (SMS phishing), falsely assert that individuals have unpaid fees linked to traffic violations. The messages often threaten serious repercussions, such as large fines and possible suspension of driving privileges, if recipients do not quickly provide requested information. Authorities stress that these texts are not from real DMV offices or government agencies.
This trend of scams has increased, following earlier incidents where scammers pretended to be toll road authorities, demanding payment for nonexistent tolls. The rise in such fraudulent messages has led to warnings from both the FBI and the Federal Trade Commission (FTC). Spam texts are at an all-time high, with Robokiller reporting that Americans received about 19. 2 billion automated spam texts in April alone, averaging 63 spam texts per person. The effects of these scams are serious, with the FTC’s 2024 Data Book indicating that Americans lost over $12 billion to fraud, a $2 billion increase from the previous year.
To safeguard against scams, experts recommend registering your phone number with the National Do Not Call Registry, avoiding links in messages from unknown numbers, and verifying the legitimacy of any requests for personal or financial information by contacting the sender through official channels.
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