BALTIMORE — A new wave of scam texts is circulating, threatening penalties for unpaid traffic violations instead of overdue tolls. Nicole Atkinson recently received one of these texts.
"Monday morning, I got a text. It said it was from the Department of Motor Vehicles that I had a outstanding parking ticket or traffic violation," Atkinson said.
What made this scam particularly convincing was its timing.
"Actually on Friday, the Friday before, I had just paid a speeding ticket, so I literally thought it was legit," said Atkinson.
Instead of clicking the suspicious link, Atkinson went directly to the MVA's website to verify.
"I dug out my ticket citation, and I went on to MVA and saw that the balance was paid. So I was like, that's not it. So then I Googled DMV scam text, and saw the article that it was starting to go around," Atkinson said.
READ MORE: Fake DMV texts demand payment for bogus tickets, officials warn
This scam closely resembles the E-ZPass fake texts that recently flooded phones nationwide, prompting warnings from the FBI and toll agencies after thousands of complaints. According to the FBI, the Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) has received more than 93,000 toll text complaints with approximately $150,000 in reported losses. Of those, 2,100 complaints were in Maryland with approximately $2,400 in losses.
RELATED: Thousands of drivers sent texts about fake toll charges, what the scammers are after
"They're casting a wide net and they only need to get lucky with a few to make it profitable," Supervisory Special Agent Keith Custer of FBI Baltimore said.
New data from the Federal Trade Commission shows fake toll texts were among the top 5 text frauds reported to the agency. While the number of reports has declined over the years, reported losses have increased to $470 million last year — five times more than in 2020.
"My 11-year-old son got the text message on his cell phone. I think my 14-year-old said they got it too. They don't drive, they don't have cars," Atkinson said.
Atkinson regularly discusses online safety with her kids and her parents and wants to warn others about these scams.
"When you're looking at emails and text messages, look at how things are spelled, capitalization, if there's extra spaces between letters or characters, those are always dead giveaways," Atkinson said. "Like every text I get now I realize is a scam, and if somebody really wants me, they're going to find me."
To stop text scams, the FTC recommends forwarding these messages to 7726, which spells out SPAM. This helps your wireless provider spot and block similar messages. You can also report it on the Apple iMessages or Google Messages app, and report it to the FTC and FBI.
The Maryland MVA sent this statement:
"The Maryland Department of Transportation Motor Vehicle Administration (MVA) is committed to delivering the highest level of service and security for all customers. Please be advised that the MVA does not contact customers via text asking for payment or personal information including social security numbers (SSN) or date of birth (DOB). To ensure the safety of your personal information, always use trusted sources. If any resident recently received a suspicious email or text do not open the link and delete the message immediately. It's important to remind customers to always stay vigilant in protecting their sensitive information and never respond to any fraudulent emails or texts they may receive. Residents can report smishing texts and emails to the Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) or, the Federal Trade Commission."
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