EAST BRUNSWICK, NJ — East Brunswick officials are warning residents about a text message scam that impersonates the state’s Department of Motor Vehicles, threatening severe consequences for alleged unpaid traffic tickets.
The New Jersey Cybersecurity & Communications Integration Cell (NJCCIC) has received multiple incident reports over the past week from residents who received fraudulent SMS messages claiming they owed money for outstanding traffic violations.
The scam, known as SMiShing (SMS phishing), warns recipients that failure to pay by May 29 will result in suspended vehicle registration and driving privileges, increased toll booth charges, and damage to their credit scores.
The deceptive messages attempt to appear legitimate by incorporating “ezpassnj” and “.gov” into their URLs. However, the scam employs an unusual tactic – rather than allowing users to click the link directly, victims are instructed to reply with “Y” and then reopen the message to access the fraudulent website, or manually copy the URL into their browser.
These fake websites are designed to harvest personally identifiable information, financial details, and account credentials from unsuspecting victims, officials said. The scheme mirrors previous scams that have targeted New Jersey residents by impersonating toll services and E-ZPass operators with claims of unpaid tolls and late fees.
Police said that legitimate government agencies do not operate this way. The New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission only sends text messages for scheduled appointment reminders and never communicates via text about driver’s license or vehicle registration issues.
Similarly, New Jersey E-ZPass does not send unsolicited text messages for payment collection. The only exception involves accounts in collections handled by Credit Collection Services, which may send text messages that include a phone number, reference to www.ccspayment.com, and a specific file number.
Experts recommend several precautions to avoid falling victim to these scams:
Victims of SMiShing attempts should report the incidents to the Federal Trade Commission, the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center, and the NJCCIC, while also forwarding suspicious messages to 7726 (SPAM).
The NJCCIC encourages anyone who discovers signs of malicious cyber activity to file a report through their cyber incident report form at www.cyber.nj.gov/report.
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