Scammers, unsurprisingly, are continuing their digital shakedowns, this time under the guise of the Arizona Department of Transportation's Motor Vehicle Division – except, they're masquerading as the Arizona Department of Motor Vehicles, something that does not even exist. These fake messages, embellished with the ADOT MVD logo, are falsely claiming you have unpaid traffic citations to worry about, according to a recent warning from Arizona Department of Transportation.
With grammatical blunders aplenty, these texts not only misuse "DMV" in place of "MVD" but also refer to non-existent Arizona laws, like "Arizona Law 15C-16.003," a far cry from the proper citation format such as "A.R.S. 28-101" used by actual state statutes. Coming from overseas, the scammers’ goal is simple: they want to extract your personal information and your hard-earned cash. "You should delete these texts and rest easy," Arizona Department of Transportation advises, reminding everyone that they do not, in fact, collect for unpaid traffic citations.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation has a name for this type of scam, calling it "smishing," a form of social engineering that uses immediate threat and fear to manipulate victims into parting with their money. Such cons, which are now seeing an increase, purporting to wield the government's authority, the Arizona Attorney General's Office recently provided guidance on how to handle such texts. They caution against clicking any links in these or similar suspect messages, noted in a statement sharing tips for identifying and engaging with spam text messages from the Federal Trade Commission, as stated by the Arizona Department of Transportation.
Smishing scams are highly deceptive, often using official logos and language to appear legitimate. As these scam texts increase across the state, residents are urged to stay alert and be cautious of any unexpected requests for money or personal details. For tips on how to avoid these scams, the Federal Trade Commission offers helpful guidance and strategies, as per the Arizona Department of Transportation.
