Scammers love telling unsuspecting people that they represent a government agency. Their latest target is an organization that millions of people deal with on a regular basis – the department of motor vehicles. Better Business Bureau (BBB) advises consumers to be aware of a new scam where scammers claim to be with the DMV.
A woman from St. Charles, Missouri, reported to BBB she received several text messages in April 2021 from someone claiming to be with the DMV. Each of the text messages stated she was eligible for a refund.
“All licensed drivers, in your state are receiving the $1850 refund/payment,” read one grammatically challenged text.
“D.M.V. Office. Current license holders, are receiving their $2895 refund. Get your check,” read another text.
“DMV Office – All license holders in your state, are receiving a $2955 refund. Get your check,” read the final text.
In each instance, the text had a link where the woman was supposed to go to sign up for her refund. The woman reached out to her local DMV which told her that the offers were not real.
“Scammers are always changing up their schemes,” said Michelle L. Corey, BBB St. Louis president and CEO. “If you receive correspondence from someone claiming to be with a government agency, investigate it thoroughly before you act on it.”
Consumers reported more than 1,500 government agency imposter scams to BBB Scam Tracker during 2020. For those consumers who fell victim to these schemes, they reported a median loss of $800.
Tips on how to avoid being victimized in a government imposter scam:
- Stay calm. Resist the urge to act immediately. Scammers will try to get people to act before thinking about the situation. Take a moment to collect yourself and analyze what is being asked of you.
- Don’t reply directly. Don’t respond to unknown calls, text or emails. If you think the message might be real, find the government agencies’ contact information from a trusted source and contact them directly.
- Check for look-alikes. Do a little research to see if the government agency or organization that contacted you actually exists. While scammers will use well-known entities like the IRS and Social Security to try to dupe people, they also will make up agency names as well.
- Report it. If you have been victimized or targeted in a government imposter scam, report it to BBB Scam Tracker, FTC and FBI.
For more information about government imposter scams, refer to this BBB study on the topic.
