MILWAUKEE — A new phishing scam is targeting Wisconsin residents with fake text messages claiming to be from the Department of Motor Vehicles about unpaid traffic violations.
The Wisconsin Department of Transportation issued an alert Tuesday warning about the latest phishing scam where scammers pose as the DMV, sending text messages notifying people of a "final notice" or an unspecified "unpaid traffic violation."
Previous Coverage: There's another phishing scam going around, Wisconsin DMV warns
Ben Kendall also received the text and reached out to us, hoping to protect others from falling victim to this scam.
"I always look at the URL. That's immediate. You know, that puts like a Wisconsin, DMV, dot, x, x, y, y, y, Q, Q, so that's the first thing I look for to tip off immediately," Kendall said.
For Kendall, these scams are personal after seeing the devastating impact on his own family.
"My father-in-law was and is still going through. He was taken in for, we don't even know how much, hundreds of thousands of dollars," Kendall said.
The Wisconsin DMV emphasized that it never sends text messages about traffic citations, registration renewals or driver's license issues. Any text claiming to be from the DMV about these matters is fraudulent.
Cristian Waity, the DMV's administrator, warned that these scams are becoming increasingly sophisticated and can appear legitimate at first glance.
"The Wisconsin DMV does not send text messages about citations, so if you receive a text message claiming to be from the DMV, it is a scam," Waity said.
Officials advise that if you receive such a message, do not click on any links or respond. Instead, delete the message immediately and report it to the Federal Trade Commission at ReportFraud.ftc.gov.
Kendall, who also secures his e-commerce business, said he hoped sharing his experience will help protect others, especially seniors, from similar scams.
"You report it. It helps somebody else. It helps somebody else. It's like community policing," Kendall said.
He advises people to be suspicious of unexpected text or voice messages, as the consequences can be severe like he's seen with his family.
"That's gonna affect him forever and affect the family forever. So the damages are huge," Kendall said.
This story was reported on-air by Mike Beiermeister and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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