ATLANTA — Have you gotten a text message that appears to be from the “Georgia Department of Motor Vehicles?” You’re not alone. Thousands of people across the country have gotten them.
But these messages are fake. They claim to suspend your vehicle registration and driving privileges unless you pay your outstanding traffic ticket.
Channel 2’s Michael Seiden spoke with the Georgia Department of Driver Services and confirmed it’s a phishing scam.
Officials with the DDS say they’ve seen a major increase in calls and emails regarding this scam.
“We have heard from many, many, many people that have received the text,” said DDS spokeswoman Susan Sports.
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In fact, Sports says, the texts are incorrect from the very beginning. The State of Georgia doesn’t even have a statewide Department of Motor Vehicles.
“We don’t have a state DMV in Georgia. It is Georgia Department of Driver Services,” she said.
Sports says a link in the text message that takes you to a website that asks you to enter personal and banking information.
Officials say criminals looking to steal your money are behind the texts.
“Before a suspension or before anything like that would happen, we notify our customers in writing,” Sports explained.
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Seiden went to a DDS office on Wednesday afternoon where several drivers knew about the texts.
“I went to the DMV, yeah, and it’s a police officer there,” driver Jabril Mohammad said. “I said, ‘Where do I go pay this fine?’ He said, ‘Let me see it.’ I showed it to him. He said, ‘That’s a scam.’”
State officials say you can protect yourself by downloading the DDS app on your phone.
“Anytime there’s a change in your driver’s license, we will send you a notification that your status has changed, and you can contact us to find out the change,” Sports said.
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