Scammers targeted Mississippians across the state with scam texts claiming to be representatives from the Driver Service Bureau warning of delinquent fines on Monday, the Mississippi Department of Public Safety said in a press release.
“Recipients are strongly encouraged not to click on any links within the message, and to delete the text immediately and report it as spam through your mobile carrier,” the press release said. “We urge the public to remain vigilant and take extra caution when receiving unsolicited messages.”
A potential scam text victim notified MDPS of the issue at approximately 10:30 a.m. on Monday, MDPS spokesperson Bailey Martin said. The department released its warning about the texts in the 11 a.m. press release.
An example text obtained by the Mississippi Free Press included an image with Mississippi’s state logo claiming to be a mandatory collection notice from the Hinds County Circuit Court’s traffic division for toll, speeding and parking violations.
The document asked would-be victims to scan a QR code to pay for their violations before a fabricated April 21 deadline.
“MDPS nor DSB will send text messages requesting payment or personal information,” the press release said.
Cybersecurity experts described the scam text messages as ‘smishing,’ a word used to describe phishing attacks sent via text messages.
Smishing and phishing attacks like this often include links that download content onto victims’ phones or—as in this case—take them to a website where they are asked to pay.
Experts recommend that technology users not open links from unknown senders.
