The text tells the recipient to pay now to avoid having their license suspended.
“If you receive this text, do not fall for this scam,” said Ohio BMV Registrar Charlie Norman. “Do not click any links and delete the text. Ohio BMV will never send you a text demanding payment or requesting your personal information.”
A similar scam has been reported nationwide as a phishing attempt trying to trick people into giving up their personal information.
Multiple law enforcement agencies across Southwest Ohio shared notices on social media alerting the public to the scam.
The Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office posted a version of the scam text on Facebook as an example.
The text claims the recipient has an outstanding traffic ticket and demands payment. If the recipient fails to pay by a certain date, the scammer threatens the recipient will have their license suspebded and will be prosecuted.
Dayton Municipal Court issued a public notice Wednesday warning residents of the scam.
“These text messages are not legitimate. The Ohio BMV and the Dayton Clerk of Courts do not issue traffic ticket notifications via text message,” said Dayton Clerk of Courts Mary Gehres.
She said these four things can indicate a text is a scam:
- Receiving an unsolicited text for traffic ticket when you haven’t been stopped or issued a citation.
- Texts using generic greetings and language instead of addressing the recipient by name.
- Texts with clickable links that don’t lead to an official government website.
- Messages that create a sense of urgency and pressure recipients to act quickly
Anyone who receives a suspicious text should:
- Not click on any links embedded in the message.
- Not respond to the text. Responding confirms it’s an active number and could lead to more scam attempts.
- Delete the text.
- Verify information. If you don’t know if you have any outstanding traffic tickets, contact your local clerk of courts to verify. Look their number up online. Do not use contact information provided in the text.
Earlier this year another traffic-related scam was circulating in Ohio. Residents received texts claiming they had unpaid Ohio Turnpike tolls.
Texts were randomly sent to cellphones with various area codes trying to impersonate the web addresses of toll agencies across the U.S.
“The Ohio Turnpike does not send text messages requesting payment for unpaid tolls. The Ohio Turnpike will only notify you of an unpaid toll through the U.S. Mail,” the Ohio Turnpike and Infrastructure Commission said. “If you’ve received a suspicious or fraudulent text, do not click the link or provide any personal information.”
Ohioans can report scams to the Federal Trade Commission online at reportfraud.ftc.gov. Anyone who believes they are the victim of a scam should call their local law enforcement department.
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