Don’t be fooled, the Illinois Secretary of State says—that text you may have gotten from the “Illinois Department of Motor Vehicles” is scam, and you should not respond.
The fraudulent phishing scam, that attempts to collect personal and financial information from unknowing residents, has been hitting phones in Illinois for months, some with the words “final notice.” One of the most recent messages uses the phrase “State Code 15c-16.003,” and threatens vehicle suspension and credit score impacts due to an “outstanding traffic ticket.”
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One such message obtained by NBC Chicago said if the “ticket” is not paid by a certain date, it could be “transferred to a toll both” for a 35% service fee, with possible prosecution.
“This is a fraudulent phishing scheme aimed at tricking residents into giving up personal or financial information,” a warning on the Illinois Secretary of State’s website about the text says. “DO NOT respond or open any links.”
Police agencies across Illinois, including the Illinois State University Police Department and the Algonquin Police Department warned about the most recent version of the scam in May.
According to the Secretary of State’s Office, the DMV only sends text messages to remind residents about appointments, not about the status of driver’s licenses or vehicle registration. Illinois Secretary of State Giannoulias encouraged reporting scam attempts to the Federal Trade Commission online.
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