Don’t Respond: Final Notice Texts From Illinois “DMV” Are Scams

Nobody wants to see the words "Final Notice," especially when it's in reference to you owing someone money. You see those words and your first impulse is to get busy and do whatever you can to rectify the situation--and that's exactly what those who make their living tricking other people out of their money and personal information are hoping for.

Over the last couple of years, these sorts of scams have exploded in Illinois and all across the country because they're so effective for scammers.

Text scams, also known as "smishing," involve fraudulent text messages that attempt to trick recipients into revealing personal information or clicking on malicious links. These scams often impersonate legitimate organizations or offer prizes, and they lead to financial losses and identity theft for many victims. Here are a few examples:

• Prize/Sweepstakes Scams: Scammers claim recipients have won a prize or sweepstakes and ask them to click a link to claim it. The link leads to a fake website that requests personal information or charges fees.
• Bank Account Impersonation Scams: Scammers pretend to be from a bank, claiming there's an issue with the recipient's account and requesting personal information like a password or account number.
• Financial Scams: Scammers may claim to have noticed suspicious activity on an account, request payment information, or send fake invoices.
• Romance Scams: Scammers engage in online relationships, build trust, and then ask for money or other personal information.

The "Final Notice" scam has been super-effective because it generally involves a governmental agency, and most people who fall for it do so because they don't want trouble with the tollway, the police, the driver's license facility, etc.

When It Comes To Scams That Involve Someone's Freedom, Like The Freedom To Drive, Victims Are Even More Likely To Fall For A Phony Text Message

That's why Illinois' Secretary of State, Alexi Giannoulias was prompted to point out that his office only sends texts to remind individuals about their scheduled DMV appointments. Text messages regarding a resident's driver's license or vehicle registration status aren't sent by the office.

So, if you've recently received a text message from the "Illinois State Department of Motor Vehicles," you should know that the text was not really sent from Illinois Secretary of State's Office. Your first clue is that Illinois doesn't call it the Department of Motor Vehicles (or, DMV). We call ours "Secretary of State Driver Facilities."

Keep that in mind if you get something like this:

This is happening everywhere: