'Don't Be A Victim,' Warn Police In Bergen County About Scam Targeting NJ Drivers

BERGEN COUNTY, NJ — Scammers are becoming more creative, finding new ways to elicit people's personal information over the phone or internet.

In one recent scam, a couple in Glen Ridge was scammed out of $100,000 by someone who called, pretending to be actually helping them avoid a problem at the bank.

And Then There's...

And last week, police in Mahwah and other New Jersey towns warned of another scam, this one involving drivers' motor vehicle records.

"Scam Alert!" they wrote. "If you receive this text message, it is a scam. Do not fall for these. If something doesn’t seem right, it’s not. Don’t be a victim!"

In the scam, people get a text that appears to come from New Jersey's Motor Vehicles Commission, saying they'll be penalized for an outstanding traffic ticket starting in June 2025, unless they pay up.

It threatens to suspend their driving privileges and gives them an official-looking link to pay. However, the link does not actually end in .gov, but in .vip.

The police posted this image of the scam:

Residents Confused

The scam is apparently making people think twice.

A look around the web shows several people asking Reddit if it's legit.

Police departments in Hackensack and Raritan also gave advice to residents about the scam. Hackensack police said they started hearing about it last week.

Hackensack police gave this advice:

If you receive this message:
• Do not click the link
• Do not respond
• Report the scam to the NJ Cybersecurity & Communications Integration Cell (NJCCIC) at www.cyber.nj.gov