Virginia DMV warns about overdue ticket scam

If you've recently received a text message about an alleged overdue traffic ticket charge, it's probably a scam, according to the Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles.

DMV officials are alerting customers about the scam, in which scammers tell potential victims they must pay a fine urgently to avoid having their license and registration suspended. The message includes a link, but clicking it could result in your personal information being stolen, making you a victim of this scam.

“The DMV will never send you text messages demanding payment for fines or fees,” said DMV Commissioner Gerald Lackey. “We urge our customers to be vigilant and avoid sending your personal information via text.”

Here are some tips from the Federal Trade Commission on how to avoid falling for a text scam like this:

• Don’t click on any links in, or respond to, unexpected texts. Scammers want you to react quickly, but it’s best to stop and check it out.
• Check to see if the text is legit. Reach out to the agency using a phone number or website you know is real — not the info from the text.
• Report and delete unwanted text messages. Use your phone’s “report junk” option to report unwanted texts to your messaging app or forward them to 7726 (SPAM). Once you’ve checked it out and reported it, delete the text.

You can also report a phishing text or other suspicious communication to the U.S. Federal Trade Commission