How one woman nearly fell for court, BMV ticket scam
COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) — Many Ohioans have recently received texts or calls from people claiming to be the Ohio BMV or county courts.
Officials said these are scams, but if you don't know what to look for, they can seem legitimate.
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The most recent text allegedly from the BMV said the recipient had an outstanding parking or traffic ticket and if they didn't pay it immediately, their driver's license could be suspended or they could be prosecuted.
Ohio State Registrar Charlie Norman said this BMV scam is happening nationwide. It comes shortly after many people received texts that were allegedly from the Ohio Turnpike about unpaid tolls.
'The BMV is never going to send you a text asking for personal information or demanding payment,' Norman said. 'It's just not something we do.'
These are just a few examples of the most recent text scams and they always have that sense of urgency.
The Better Business Bureau of Central Ohio said scammers are getting more sophisticated.
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'I think we're so used to just like paying things from our phone that it's easy for us,' Lee Anne Lanigan with the Better Business Bureau said. 'We think if we click the link, we're going to get more information and we're going to be able to take care of this right away.'
A woman in Delaware said she nearly fell victim to a scam over the phone.
Holly LeMay said someone called her claiming to be from the Delaware County courts, saying she missed jury duty and there was a warrant out for her arrest.
The person on the phone, claiming to be a sergeant, sent LeMay a website where she was asked to upload her driver's license.
'It had my name, it had a court case on it, it looked very legitimate,' LeMay said. 'It had, you know, the emblem of the federal government in the corner and it had court fees and find your court and your juror. It was over $12,000 that they wanted. At that point, I started panicking because I don't have $12,000 to throw into a bond.'
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LeMay ended up calling the Delaware County court system herself to check. She said they told her they've been dealing with these jury duty scammers for years, adding that the scam LeMay reported looked very legitimate.
'When I realized that it was a scam, after that, I felt incredibly raw,' she said. 'I was very, just, scared. I felt dumb. I felt like I had just been completely bamboozled.'
Whether someone is texting or calling, saying you owe money, the BBB said you should always double-check the alleged government agency's website to see if you actually missed jury duty or owe money on a parking ticket.
LeMay said she's been warning everyone she sees about what almost happened to her.
'Just make sure you're careful and pay attention because it doesn't take long and they're getting really, really good at it,' she said.
The BBB said to avoid being scammed, keep in mind that a government agency will never text you, don't trust an urgent message with links, verify a potential bill on your own and be on the lookout for mistakes.
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If you think you may have fallen victim to a text or call scam, the BBB said you should contact your bank and your local law enforcement agency to get this taken care of immediately.
For more tips from the Better Business Bureau on avoiding scams, visit the bureau's website. The bureau also breaks down specifically how scammers target people about jury duty: read that information by clicking here.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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