BROOKE COUNTY, W.Va. — West Virginia residents are being warned about a new scam involving text messages that falsely claim recipients have unpaid tolls.
The messages, which appear to be a final reminder from the West Virginia DMV, reference the West Virginia Administrative Code in an attempt to appear legitimate.
"The code they are referencing is a 15C and it is not even listed in the code book so these are false claims," Brooke County Sheriff Richard Beatty said.
The fraudulent messages threaten recipients with actions such as reporting them to the DMV violation database, suspending vehicle registration, and revoking driving privileges if payment is not made by a certain date. The messages also include a link to a website designed to mimic the official West Virginia DMV site.
Sheriff Beatty advised residents to never click on the link and to delete the message immediately. He noted that the scam messages are being sent from a number with a 63 country code, which originates from the Philippines.
"It’s ridiculous so you know if an older person doesn’t think or doesn’t know for sure if they’ve been on a toll road they might just simply pay the five or six dollars and if this happens over, however many times it’s a significant money maker for the scammers," Beatty said.
"There's nothing we can really do to track down who is making these bogus claims but I just want the community and everyone to be aware that it is happening."
Authorities urge residents to remain vigilant...
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