Crime & Safety
Do Not Open: Scammers Pretend To Be ADOT To Get User Info
The Arizona Department of Transportation said scammers are texting Arizonans claiming their driver licenses need to be updated.
PHOENIX — Arizonans who receive a text to update their driver licenses should beware, according to officials.
The Arizona Department of Transportation warns Arizonans about a text scam designed to get them to hand over personal information. The text doesn't come from the Motor Vehicle Division or any state officials.
"Do not open this text or any web address associated with it," department officials said in a Wednesday news release. "This is a scam, and you should never click on unsolicited or suspicious links in texts or emails."
Find out what's happening in Phoenixfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
DO NOT OPEN! A text message has been sent from a scammer to many Arizonans claiming they need to update their driver license. This is not from MVD. DO NOT OPEN! pic.twitter.com/pI1KKKitxS
— Arizona DOT (@ArizonaDOT) January 27, 2021
The only places drivers should reveal any identifying info are AZMVDNOW.gov or ServiceArizona.com.
ADOT spokesperson Douglas Nick told Patch the department wasn't sure how many people were affected by the text scam. He said it was alerted to the issue when contacted by a large number of customers Wednesday morning, but the call volume has since returned to normal once word got out about the scam.
Find out what's happening in Phoenixfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
If anyone believes they have been victimized by the scam, the Arizona Attorney General's Office recommended contacting local law enforcement on a nonemergency line or filing a complaint with the AG's office.
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