Texts falsely claiming to be from DMV demand customers pay fines
The New York State Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) is warning customers to be wary of the latest phishing scam, where bad actors seek to gain access to personal information by pretending to be from the DMV.
This is the latest in a series of such text message phishing schemes that DMV has warned New Yorkers to avoid. Previous scams have claimed that E-ZPass accounts were about to be suspended.
Phishing texts are fraudulent messages designed to obtain data or 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,” said DMV Commissioner Mark J.F. Schroeder. “DMV will not send you texts asking for your personal information.”
DMV provides information on these phishing attacks on its website.
The New York State Department of Information Technology Services provides advice on avoiding these phishing attacks.
- Be cautious about all communications you receive, including those that claim to be from “trusted entities.” Be careful when clicking any links contained within those messages. If in doubt, do not click.
Do not send your personal information via email. Legitimate businesses will not ask users to send sensitive personal information through email.
Keep an eye out for telltale signs: poor spelling or grammar, the use of threats, or the URL does not match that of the legitimate site.
Be wary of how much information you post online. The less information you post, the less data you make available to a cybercriminal for use in developing a potential attack or scam.
Here is an example of what the latest scam looks like:
You can find other examples on the DMV website.