{"id":28679,"date":"2025-09-25T15:47:25","date_gmt":"2025-09-25T23:47:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.spokeo.com\/compass\/?p=28679"},"modified":"2025-09-25T15:47:28","modified_gmt":"2025-09-25T23:47:28","slug":"avoid-the-dmv-text-scam","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.spokeo.com\/compass\/avoid-the-dmv-text-scam\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Put the Brakes on the Latest DMV Text Scam"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

First, it was phony parking tickets<\/a>, then toll road scams<\/a>, now scammers are at it again with an all-new, all-bad DMV text scam. The unfortunate popularity of this latest grift has caused states from New York, Florida, and Georgia, to Illinois, New Jersey, and beyond to issue official warnings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So let\u2019s heed those warnings and learn to swerve from the newest DMV scam crooks have cooked up. Because getting ripped off by the faux DMV might be the only thing worse than standing in line at the real <\/em>DMV.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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How the Latest DMV Text Scam Works<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

This DMV scam<\/a> all starts with a text from scam artists posing as the legit DMV (Department of Motor Vehicles, for those who haven\u2019t had the pleasure). While the wording and minor details of the message may vary \u2013 because scammers are, unfortunately, creative sometimes \u2013 the content is typically consistent.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In most cases, the DMV text scam uses very official-sounding language to warn potential victims that they\u2019re at risk of a serious penalty if they don\u2019t pay a ticket fee or a related traffic fine to their respective state\u2019s DMV, pronto. That penalty may be the revocation of their driver\u2019s license, suspended vehicle registration, toll fees, additional charges, a hit to the victim\u2019s credit score, or even legal prosecution<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Regardless, the intention is the same, and it\u2019s a tactic consistently used by scammers since the dawn of their existence: motivate potential victims into action (i.e., giving scammers what they want) by making threats and leveraging an urgent sense of pressure. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Of course, the text includes a link that claims to lead to a payment portal for the victim\u2019s state DMV. What this link really leads to, though, is a sketchy website<\/a> created by the scam\u2019s perpetrators. Disguised as a real DMV site, it may ask you to pay directly online or direct you to fill out a form asking you for all sorts of private information. In the first instance, you\u2019ll be paying the scammers and handing over the info associated with your payment method. In the second, you\u2019ll be giving them the information they need to potentially commit identity theft and steal your money.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Alternatively, following the link may just infect your device with malware, which can also mine valuable information from your device to commit financial fraud.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

DMV Scam Red Flags<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Oftentimes, DMV scam texts include all sorts of little touches to make them look official. In addition to a list of phony consequences, the text usually includes a due date and an enforcement date, and made-up administrative codes. Despite this sort of sneakiness, there are plenty of red flags that give this text away as a DMV scam.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here\u2019s the big one: state DMVs, according to the Federal Trade Commission, do not request information or money via text.<\/strong> So if you get a text asking for either of those from the DMV, that\u2019s a DMV scam text for sure. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Additionally, while the link in the scam text might look legit, it often doesn\u2019t allow the recipient to click the link directly from the text message, instead prompting them to respond with \u201cY\u201d and then copy the link into their browser (because the link that you\u2019ll actually copy is slightly different from the official-looking link in the text).  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"man<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

What To Do If You Get a DMV Scam Text<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

First off, do not <\/em>follow the link in any text you might even remotely suspect is a DMV scam text. You\u2019ve probably figured that part out already, but here are some other steps you can take:<\/p>\n\n\n\n