Indiana doesn't have a DMV. We have a BMV, and they won't text you to pay a ticket
No, the Indiana Department of Vehicles won't text you to demand you pay your traffic tickets. In fact, there is no "Indiana DMV."
In Indiana, drivers instead have the Bureau of Motor Vehicles, or BMV. But they aren't sending you these texts, either.
IndyStar wrote about this text message scam that has been reported across several states targeting Hoosiers earlier this month, but those texts are still in circulation.
If you receive a text like this, it's just another smishing, or SMS phishing scam, and you should not go to the link in the text.
The scam is similar to recent fraudulent texts and emails about unpaid tolls.
The messages may claim that if unpaid traffic fines aren't paid right away, drivers will face actions such as their vehicle registrations or licenses being suspended, additional fees and prosecution.
"Please pay immediately before enforcement to avoid license suspension and further legal disputes," one text message reads. It gives a link that is not for a government website.
Scam texts: Indianapolis is one of the top cities receiving toll road scam texts in the United States
Don't follow the instructions in the text. You can report the fraudulent texts to the Federal Trade Commission at reportfraud.ftc.gov.
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Indianapolis Star
a day ago
- Indianapolis Star
Indiana doesn't have a DMV. We have a BMV, and they won't text you to pay a ticket
No, the Indiana Department of Vehicles won't text you to demand you pay your traffic tickets. In fact, there is no "Indiana DMV." In Indiana, drivers instead have the Bureau of Motor Vehicles, or BMV. But they aren't sending you these texts, either. IndyStar wrote about this text message scam that has been reported across several states targeting Hoosiers earlier this month, but those texts are still in circulation. If you receive a text like this, it's just another smishing, or SMS phishing scam, and you should not go to the link in the text. The scam is similar to recent fraudulent texts and emails about unpaid tolls. The messages may claim that if unpaid traffic fines aren't paid right away, drivers will face actions such as their vehicle registrations or licenses being suspended, additional fees and prosecution. "Please pay immediately before enforcement to avoid license suspension and further legal disputes," one text message reads. It gives a link that is not for a government website. Scam texts: Indianapolis is one of the top cities receiving toll road scam texts in the United States Don't follow the instructions in the text. You can report the fraudulent texts to the Federal Trade Commission at
Axios
2 days ago
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Blowing cars apart to piece crimes together
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Indianapolis Star
5 days ago
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Phishing scam uses public's right to information to target state and local governments
Hoosiers can request a broad range of information from their local and state governments, such as police reports, contracts, policies and email communications. A recent phishing attack is twisting that right to information into a means to scam state and local government workers. Employees have reported that a recent surge of emails are posing as public records requests and encouraging records to be uploaded to a hyperlink. The Indiana Office of Technology is aware of the emails and has found them to be fraudulent, according to one of its email newsletters. Spokesperson Aliya Wishner said the city of Indianapolis' information services agency is aware of the phishing scam. The city uses a software system to fulfill records requests, not through email. One of the phishing emails obtained by IndyStar was sent from the domain "@recordsretrievalsolutions" and sought five years of information about an agency's purchase orders. Indiana's technology office said employees should be cautious with any emails from that domain and any contacts from Records Retrieval Solutions. The office said the scammers are pretending to be the Florida-based company. In light of the phishing scam, the office recommends that workers question whether a records requests is legitimate. Guidance includes contacting the sender to discuss the request, verifying the entity that's making the request, and searching the email text for red flags like hyperlinks. Under Indiana's Access to Public Records Act, members of the public have the right to request a wide swath of information held by government agencies. Some information may be withheld or redacted for legal or investigation reasons. The USA TODAY Network - Indiana's coverage of First Amendment issues is funded through a collaboration between the Freedom Forum and Journalism Funding Partners.
