Latest news with #VirginiaDMV
Yahoo
19 hours ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Residents warned about the appearance of counterfeit bills
MERCER COUNTY, WV (WVNS) — Members of the community were advised to stay alert due to the appearance of counterfeit bills in the region. According to a post on the Chamber of Commerce of the Two Virginias' Facebook page, counterfeit $100 bills are being seen in the area. Virginia DMV warns customers about a text scam The post stated that the bills appear real, even when marked with a counterfeit detection pen, but the bills are fake. The Chamber of Commerce of the Two Virginias Facebook post stated that four stores were affected by the counterfeit money in Mercer County. According to the post, people and businesses are encouraged to be alert and keep an eye out when dealing with cash transactions. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Axios
a day ago
- General
- Axios
Scam texts say Virginians owe DMV cash. You don't.
The Virginia DMV is once again warning residents about a text scam, this one fraudulently telling Virginians they owe money for unpaid traffic tickets. Why it matters: Between bogus job offers, unsolicited homebuying queries and nonstop political announcements, it's a wonder any actual personal communication gets through to our phones. Driving the news: In the latest scam, a fraudster posing as the DMV texts that the recipient owes money for an outstanding traffic ticket and they need to pay up immediately or risk penalties, according to a warning from the DMV. The penalty, per the scammer, is a suspended driver's license and vehicle registration, a ding on one's credit report, possible criminal prosecution and, bizarrely, a 35% "toll booth" service fee. Virginians should not click on any links in the text or reply to the sender, the DMV says. Instead, recipients should use the "report junk" feature on their phone or forward it to 7726 (SPAM). What they're saying: " The DMV will never send you text messages demanding payment for fines or fees," DMV commissioner Gerald Lackey said in a statement. "We urge our customers to be vigilant and avoid sending your personal information via text." Flashback: Unpaid traffic ticket messages are the latest text scam to hit Virginians. In March, there was one demanding money for unpaid tolls or E-Z Pass balances.
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Disturbing Data: Personal information being bought and sold, how you can stop it
(WAVY) — Did you get a text this week from someone alleging to be the Department of Motor Vehicles? After a , Virginians are left wondering how their personal information fell into malicious hands. Virginia DMV warns customers of text scam after recent messages 10 On Your Side went looking for answers. It turns out, people may have handed over their information willingly, but unknowingly. Lena Cohen works with the Electronic Frontier Foundation, the leading nonprofit organization defending civil liberties in the digital world. Cohen said it's likely their information was unknowingly sold for profit. 'We want to make sure that the rights you have offline come with you when you use the Internet,' Cohen said. 'We live in a country without a comprehensive federal privacy law, so your your personal data has been freely harvested and sold for a long time.' It has become a bigger issue for all consumers. There's three main ways your information can get into the hands of what are called 'data brokers,' including public records, loyalty programs/commercial transactions and digital footprints/cookies. Data-brokers take your information and sell it to other people like a product. From there, it can be used in a variety of ways. Phone numbers, relatives, your location history, and more are sold — all up for sale by data-brokers who collect it from the places you'd least expect. 'They do collect data from public records like marriage records, housing records,' Cohen said. 'They collect data by scraping social media sites. They also buy data from other companies, grocery stores, retail stores. Even credit card companies have been caught sharing data with data brokers.' If you think the extent of you're information being bought sold or leaked is a spam text, you're wrong. Experts said this secretive broker industry is considerably dangerous, specifically for national security. To prove a point, in 2023 researchers at Duke University purchased huge amounts of data from brokers. They set up a server in Singapore where brokers sold private data about active-duty service members, veterans and their families. The report's authors didn't buy mental health or location data, though that information was also for sale. Brokers also sold bulk data for people within geofenced military facilities, such as Fort Bragg and Quantico. The pipeline of information varies depending on the initial collector of the data. 'Sometimes there are direct partnerships between apps and data brokers to collect your data,' Cohen said. 'Sometimes the connection is a little more distant. Apps share information with an advertising system, and then that advertising system, in order to select what ads to show you, broadcast a lot of information about you to a lot of potential advertisers. But a lot of those potential advertisers are actually data brokers scooping up your data, and there's nothing stopping them.' Only a handful of states are protecting users information online by allowing residents to compel more than 500 data broker organizations to delete their information with the push of a button. Virginia and North Carolina don't have that option. It's up to resident's to find those brokers and secure your information. 'It really just goes to show how under regulated this industry is,' Cohen said. 'We know relatively little about data brokers. Who they are, who they're selling to, what information they have about us … and they know basically everything about us.' The Electronic Frontier Foundation offers a variety of tools to help you protect your information, and you can There are always ways to help push for more change on the federal level to protect your personal data online. You can join the efforts by clicking 10 On Your Side also put together a simplified tutorial for easy steps you can take right now. Stay with for more local news, weather and traffic. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
4 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Gloucester County warns residents of fake Virginia DMV scam
GLOUCESTER COUNTY, Va. (WAVY) — The Gloucester County Sheriff's Office is warning citizens of a scam using texts posing as the Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles to target victims. Residents are receiving text messages claiming to be from the Virginia DMV, stating, 'Final Notice: Enforcement Penalties Begin on June 4.' The message included a link for residents to make payments for an outstanding traffic ticket to avoid having their license and vehicle registration suspended. See an example of the text below: GSCO warn the text is a scam and are advising people to ignore the message. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
28-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Real ID deadline looms May 7 for air travelers
If you're planning to board a plane after May 7 and your current driver's license isn't Real ID-compliant, it's time to apply now. (Photo courtesy of Virginia DMV) Come May 7, your old Virginia driver's license might not get you past airport security. That's the day the federal government will begin enforcing the long-delayed Real ID Act, requiring all domestic air travelers who use a driver's license at TSA checkpoints to present a Real ID-compliant credential — or be turned away. If you don't have one, and you're planning to fly after that date, it's time to act. The Real ID Act was passed by Congress in 2005 in response to the 9/11 Commission's call for tougher security standards on state-issued identification. Its goal is to prevent terrorists from using fake or low-security IDs to board planes or access sensitive government facilities. Initially, states were supposed to comply within three years. But privacy concerns, funding issues and political resistance caused years of delays. Even after all 50 states and Washington, D.C. became compliant by 2020, the Department of Homeland Security pushed back full enforcement — most recently citing a pandemic-era backlog of applications at state DMV offices. Now, after multiple extensions, the Transportation Security Administration has set May 7, 2025, as the final deadline. 'With summer travel just around the corner, I would encourage all Virginians to take a quick look at their driver's licenses and check for that star on the right-hand side,' U.S. Sen. Mark Warner, D-Va., said in an email. 'The government has been clear that folks will need a compliant license to board an airline or enter a federal facility, so don't delay – apply for a Real ID today.' While more than 4.1 million Virginians have already gotten a Real ID as of early April, that still leaves over 40% of license and ID holders in the commonwealth without one, according to the Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles. In contrast, nearby states like Maryland and the District of Columbia boast a 99% Real ID compliance rate — among the highest in the nation, Axios reported earlier this month. Virginia DMV officials say demand has surged in recent months, with thousands of Real IDs being issued each week. But they also warn that appointments and service centers are busier than usual, and that anyone considering travel after the enforcement deadline should not wait. 'Are you flying soon? You still have time to get your REAL ID!' the agency said in a recent social media post. Real ID is optional in Virginia. You're not required to have one to drive, vote, or access public benefits. But starting May 7, it will be mandatory for boarding domestic flights and entering certain federal buildings, unless you have another form of federally accepted ID, like a passport, military ID, or DHS Trusted Traveler card. That includes military bases, which may already be rejecting licenses marked with 'Federal limits apply.' Requirements vary by installation, and base visitors are encouraged to confirm what ID is accepted before showing up. Children under 18 don't need ID when flying domestically with an adult, but adults without a compliant license or alternative ID won't make it past TSA. The process starts online, but you'll need to visit a DMV customer service center in person to finish the job. The fee is $10 if you're upgrading before your license expires. You'll need to bring original documents — no copies allowed — proving your identity and legal presence in the U.S. That could be a birth certificate or a valid passport. You also need your full Social Security number, either on a Social Security card or a W-2 form, and two documents proving your current Virginia residency. These can include a mortgage statement, utility bill, or rental agreement. If your legal name differs from the one on your identity documents — due to marriage or divorce, for instance — you'll also need to bring an official name change document, such as a marriage certificate or divorce decree. DMV officials urge residents to check their current license's expiration date. You can renew up to one year in advance, and if your license doesn't expire for several years, you can still come in to get a Real ID replacement. The Real ID rollout has taken nearly two decades to reach full enforcement. Initially set to take effect in 2008, it faced pushback over cost, state-federal tensions and fears of government overreach. Later, the COVID-19 pandemic created long delays and service interruptions at DMVs across the country, causing a backlog that the Department of Homeland Security cited when it postponed the May 2023 deadline to 2025. Real ID-compliant licenses and IDs are marked with a star in the upper right-hand corner — the visual cue TSA officers will be checking for starting this spring. Travelers who don't have a Real ID can still use a valid passport, U.S. military ID, permanent resident card, or other federally approved form of ID. A full list is available on the Virginia DMV's Real ID FAQ page. But DMV officials stress that getting a Real ID is the most straightforward solution for anyone who flies domestically and wants to avoid last-minute surprises at the airport. So if you're planning to board a plane after May 7 and your current driver's license isn't Real ID-compliant, the time to fix that is now. Otherwise, you may find yourself grounded — before you even get through security. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
