Officials Warn Of New Scam Now Targeting A Large Number Of People In Wisconsin

Last week, the month of May ended with yet another scam warning. This scam dealt with wire transfers, where scammers, posing as city officials, would reach out to potential victims asking them to pay additional fees using a wire transfer. Those targeted were residents who had filled out planning applications.

Now, here we are in just the first few days of June, and already there's a new scam warning, and this one is for people in Wisconsin.

Hopefully, the word spreads on this quickly so that nobody else gets ripped off, and these scammers will go away.

Wisconsin Department of Transportation Warns Of A New Scam

The Wisconsin Department of Transportation Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) has alerted the pubic of another phishing scam being reported throughout the state.

Phishing scams are a type of online fraud where criminals use deceptive emails, text messages, or phone calls to trick individuals into revealing personal information, such as passwords, bank account details, or social security numbers.

The Wisconsin DMV says scammers are now texting and pretending to be from their department to get individuals to click on fraudulent links or reveal personal information.

This recent wave warns of a “final notice” or of an unspecified “unpaid traffic violation.” Some scams duplicate the look of official Wisconsin Department of Transportation (WisDOT) content, however, these are not from WisDOT or DMV.

On Monday, June 2, DMV noted an influx of customers calling and emailing with questions after receiving these unsolicited texts. A previous wave of this type of scam attempt had hit Wisconsin late March into early April, and Wisconsin isn't the only state dealing with the issue.

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“We’re hearing from our DMV counterparts that Illinois, Pennsylvania, Florida, New Jersey, Georgia, and New York were hit with this scam last week. Given the number of calls we’re getting from DMV customers, it’s likely Wisconsin is the next target,” DMV Bureau of Driver Services Director Tina Braddy said.

How To Avoid Becoming A Victim Of This Scam

Wisconsin DMV urges consumers to be on the lookout for texts of this nature and follow these tips:

• Be suspicious of demands for money and urgency.
• Do not share personal information with unsolicited emails or messages.
• If you have not signed up to receive email or text messages from DMV and receive an unsolicited text message or email from an unknown number or person, do not respond, engage with the caller, or click on links.
• Sign up for account activity alerts and renewal reminders by subscribing to Wisconsin DMV's eNotify. Like most bank accounts, you will receive confirmation of transactions on your account, which alerts you to any fraudulent activities.

Lastly, if you become the victim of a scam, you may:

• Consider filing a police report with the local law enforcement agency where you reside.
• Report it to the Federal Trade Commission and/or the IC3.
• Speak to AARP’s Fraud Watch Helpline and find Fraud Victim Support Groups (all ages accepted)
• Request a free credit report and research identity theft prevention through AnnualCreditReport.com.

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