Minnesota Warns About Fraudulent Traffic Ticket Texts

Stop me if you’ve heard this one before, “here’s another scam alert”. It seems these are happening more frequently these days. This one comes from the Minnesota Department of Public Safety. 

Here's How The Scam Works

The DPS posted a tweet a couple of days ago someone is sending a fake message to Minnesotans saying that the Minnesota Department of Vehicle Administration DMV is notifying them they have an outstanding traffic ticket that needs to be dealt with immediately. 

The threat of the message indicates that the person receiving it can have their driver's license suspended along with their vehicle registration.  Of course, there’s also a threat of there being a stiff financial penalty and even that your credit score will be affected.  

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All of that sounds severe until you get to the point that your credit score can be affected, then it sounds like the scammer is stretching things a bit too thin. 

The message looks pretty official and that is a big part of what is catching people off guard. That and the fact that the dates given for action by this so-called agency were within a couple of days of the person getting the message.  

We’ve learned from training about email scams is that the one of the key “triggers” scammers hope to activate in people is the fear of something happening within a few days or immediately. A good rule of thumb to remember is that state agencies will never text you threats or requests for money and that if the message requires you to respond quickly, it’s likely a scam.  

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