FRANKFORT, Ky. — After a myriad of local law enforcement agencies, as well as the FBI Louisville Field Office, issued scam warnings, the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet cautioned of similar schemes.
According to the KYTC, individuals have received fraudulent text messages impersonating Kentucky’s Office of Highway Safety and driver licensing offices. The texts include a suspicious link similar to Kentucky government website address.
The KYTC stated that the scam messages warn customers of unpaid traffic tickets or “traffic infractions,” saying that a “payment is due” and “actions will be taken” if not resolved.
The transportation cabinet advises recipients to not click any links or respond to the scam messages. The KYTC also noted that it does not collect traffic ticket fees nor does it notify customers of violations through text messages.
According to the KYTC, the cabinet does not refer to itself as “KDOT” or a “DMV” in official communications. Similarly, the official website for motor vehicle and driver services is “drive.ky.gov” — any deviation is fraudulent, and the transportation cabinet notes that scammers often make subtle changes, such as adding a hyphen or the word “pay” to trick people.
The transportation cabinet stated that it is taking appropriate steps to request to have the fraudulent websites taken down. However, if one receives a fraudulent text:
The day prior, the Caldwell County Sheriff’s Office also warned of a scam in which the culprit told the victim that a coworker had been involved in a car accident and faced many charges.
According to CCSO, the scammer told the victim that there had been a child in the other car and that their coworker had drank cough syrup and was being charged with a DUI. The victim was instructed they could get the friend/coworker from the sheriff’s office after paying “Detective Johnson, badge number 3751” $1800.00 via PayPal, CashApp or Venmo.
As the victim did not have any of those, they used Money Gram through WalMart, CCSO stated. The sheriff’s office emphasized that law enforcement will not call and ask for money to keep someone out of jail, nor will they use apps such as Venmo, PayPal, or Money Grams.
For more information on recent scams, click here.
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