Don’t be fooled by a new scam.
The New York State Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) has issued a new warning about fraudulent text messages that make false claims about E-ZPass accounts, outstanding traffic tickets or other bogus issues. The texts, often from a non-U.S. phone number (such as Philippines country code +63), urge recipients to send payments to a website that is not the official DMV site.
The phishing attempts use fear and urgency to trick people by claiming “Enforcement Penalties” will begin soon. They claim vehicle registrations and driver’s licenses will be suspended, service fees will be added, credit scores will be affected, and charges may be prosecuted “in accordance with New York State Administrative Code 15C-16.0003.”
The DMV says the perpetrators seek to obtain money, data or other sensitive personal information to be used to commit identity theft or trick the recipient into installing malicious software onto a computer or mobile device.
“These scammers flood phones with these texts, hoping to trick unsuspecting New Yorkers into handing over their personal information,” DMV Commissioner Mark J.F. Schroeder said. “DMV will not send you texts asking for your personal information.”
The DMV shared examples of what the phishing attacks may look like, as well as tips from the New York State Department of Information Technology Services on how to protect yourself:
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