Online Threat Alerts (OTA) - Alerting you to scams and frauds.

Illinois DMV Scam Texts

Any text message claiming to be from the "Illinois DMV" or "Illinois State Department of Motor Vehicles" regarding unpaid tickets, tolls, or license suspensions is a scam. The Illinois Secretary of State's office never sends text messages requesting personal or financial information.

Identify the Scam

  • The Content: Messages often claim you have an "outstanding traffic ticket" or "unpaid toll" and threaten immediate penalties like license suspension or vehicle registration cancellation if you don't pay within 24–48 hours.
  • The Sender: While they may appear to come from official-sounding names, they often originate from unknown or international numbers, or even email addresses.
  • The Link: They include a link to a fraudulent website that may mimic a government page but often contains typos or non-standard domains (e.g., using "-gov" instead of .gov).
  • Legitimate Texts: The only legitimate text messages sent by the Illinois Secretary of State are appointment reminders for previously scheduled DMV visits.

Received One

  1. Do NOT click any links or provide any personal or financial information.
  2. Do NOT reply to the message; even replying "STOP" can confirm your number is active for future scams.
  3. Forward the text to 7726 (SPAM) so your carrier can investigate and block the sender.
  4. Delete the message immediately after reporting it.

How to Report It

  • Federal Trade Commission (FTC): Report the fraud at reportfraud.ftc.gov.
  • FBI Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3): File a complaint at www.ic3.gov.
  • Illinois Secretary of State: You can send screenshots of fraudulent texts to ScamAlert@ilsos.gov.

If you are concerned about the actual status of your license or tickets, verify this directly by calling the Secretary of State's office at (800) 252-8980 or visiting the official ilsos.gov website.

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