đźš— Steer Clear of Fake DMV Texts

Picture this: You’re cozied up on the couch, binge-watching your favorite series, when ding!—a text from the DMV pops up. It claims you owe money for a traffic ticket, threatens to suspend your license, and even mentions a scary-sounding “DMV violation database.” It’s urgent, it’s terrifying…and it’s also a big fat scam! đźš«

🎭 The Scam Showdown

Here’s how the scam goes down: The text looks official and even has a stern tone—just like you’d expect from a serious government agency. But instead of providing civic duty vibes, the text is out to swipe your cash and personal info. It might include a link to pay up, threatening to take away your driving privileges and throwing in a 35% service fee for good measure. Yikes, right?

🚦 Keep Your Foot on the Brakes

But fear not, dear driver! You can stop these scammers in their tracks with a few savvy moves:

  1. Don’t Get Click-Happy: Resist the urge to click on links or respond to unsolicited texts. Scammers are like digital magicians—they want to distract you and snatch your personal info before you can say, “Is this real?”

  2. Check with the Real DMV: If you’re feeling uneasy, contact your DMV directly using a phone number or website you trust. The text might feel official, but it’s as real as a unicorn on a unicycle.

  3. Text, Delete, Repeat: If you get an unwanted message, report it using your phone’s “report junk” option or forward it to 7726 (SPAM). Then, delete it faster than you can say “traffic jam.”

  4. Stay Informed: For more tips on spotting and dodging text scams, check out ftc.gov/textscams and report any shifty shenanigans to the FTC at ReportFraud.ftc.gov.

🚨 Remember, real DMVs don’t threaten you via text, and they definitely don’t want to tank your credit score. So next time a scary text pops up, laugh it off, and save your cash for something more fun—like a road trip snack stash!

For the original article and further reading, head over to the FTC website.

Original article: https://consumer.ftc.gov/consumer-alerts/2025/07/text-about-overdue-traffic-ticket-probably-scam