Scam texts claiming to be DMV received nationwide; How to spot a scam, what to do if you get one

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a day ago

People all over the country are getting scam texts that claim they owe the BMV money.
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News Center 7's Taylor Robertson got this message today and looked into who is getting them and what you should do if you get one LIVE on News Center 7 at 11.
The State Registrar Charlie Norman says there are some obvious red flags in these scam texts.
The first red flag is that they claimed they were the 'Ohio Department of Vehicles,' which is really called the Ohio Bureau of Motor Vehicles.
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The text claims that there are outstanding fees and, if not paid soon, you could have your car registration suspended, lose your license, transfer the fee to a toll booth with an extra fee, face charges or have it impact your credit score.
Janet Smith, who lives in Xenia, got one of these texts today.
'The fact that it's going to affect so many things, the credit score was the biggest one,' Smith said. 'The first thing I thought is 'okay, this is a scam.''
Norman says this is a phishing scam. The scammers want you to click the link so they can get ahold of your money.
'If you think about it, let's say a million texts get sent out by a scammer for a penny a piece,' Norman said. 'You know it's $1,000, that's a low investment. If you get just a fraction of those million people to respond, you can definitely have a higher return.'
Carla Greene got the message too, she feels that these days, scams are abundant.
'They seem to be a part of life anymore,' Carla Greene said.
Greene says anytime she gets an unusual text, she looks up the number online.
'It just takes a little bit of research to make sure, before you do anything, you know and look before you act,' Greene said.
Norman says anytime you get a text that seems urgent, like you might be in trouble if you don't act fast, that's a sign it's not safe.
If you get one of these scam texts and want to check the status of your license, you can do that with the BMV.
Norman recommends reporting these scams to the Federal Trade Commission. By reporting them, you help spread the word more quickly when new scams pop up.
If you click a suspicious link, Norman says you should make a report with your local police department.
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