Giannoulias: Don’t click on fake texts from Illinois DMV with threats about traffic tickets

Got a text about outstanding traffic tickets that must be paid immediately?

It’s a scam, Illinois Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias warned Tuesday. The texts purport to be from the nonexistent “Illinois State Department of Motor Vehicles” and falsely threaten suspension of vehicle registration and privileges.

“Do not respond to it or click on any links,” Giannoulias said. “These phony texts are designed to trick you into giving up personal or financial information which can lead to identify theft and fraud. The secretary of state does not send text messages regarding vehicle registrations and driver’s licenses.”

Phishing texts can be reported to the Federal Trade Commission’s Reportfraud.ftc.gov website or the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center at www.ic3.gov.

Here are some tips from the Illinois attorney general’s office to avoid phishing cons:

• Never give out your Social Security number, or bank account and routing information, unless you know to whom you’re providing it and why. Be wary of pop-up ads or free trial offers that request your phone number.

• State and federal agencies typically don’t call, email or text to ask for personal information or money. If it looks suspicious, check with the official agency.

• Don’t believe messages that insist you must act immediately. Take time to verify the source.

• Never open a link or attachment in an unexpected text or email from an unknown, unsolicited source. Bad actors could load malware onto your devices.

• Don’t respond to suspicious text messages. Replying “verifies a phone number is active and willing to open such messages, which may lead to more unsolicited text messages,” officials said.