DMV scam texts: the unpaid ticket that isn’t

From Scams, in the HARD wiki · Updated 8 Nov 2026

A text that says you owe the DMV for a traffic ticket or toll and your licence or registration will be suspended unless you pay through a link is a scam.

California’s, New York’s and Texas’s motor vehicle departments have all said they don’t send texts asking for payment. The texts come in waves, copy the state’s name and threaten suspension, prosecution or a hit to your credit score so you pay before you think.

DMVs are US state agencies, so this one is US only. In the UK the same trick uses the DVLA’s name; check through gov.uk.

What it looks like

An example written by HARD, not a real message. Real ones change wording often.

Text from dmv-notice@[an email address]

Final notice: You have an outstanding traffic ticket. Pay by 11/10 to avoid suspension of your vehicle registration and driving privileges: [a link that isn’t your state’s DMV site]

Check the one you got

Paste what you were sent. HARD checks it in this browser with the same rules as the Is this legit? check in its apps. Nothing you paste leaves this page.

The message to check

How to tell it’s fake

“The DMV does not send text messages with links to make payments.”
California DMV

DMVs don’t text for payment.: California’s DMV says it doesn’t send texts with payment links. Texas’s says it doesn’t collect fines for tickets or tolls, or talk about violations by unsolicited text.
It threatens you.: Suspended registration, a suspended licence, prosecution, a 35 per cent “service fee” or damage to your credit score, all within days.
The link isn’t your state’s .gov site.: Real DMV sites end in .gov, such as dmv.ca.gov or dmv.ny.gov. The scam link copies the name but not the address.
It came from an email address or a number you don’t know.: Whoever the sender seems to be, a DMV payment text with a link isn’t from the DMV.

If you clicked, called or paid

Call your bank if you paid or typed in card details.: Use the number on the back of your card, not one from the message. Ask them to block the card, dispute the charge and watch for more. The sooner you call, the better the chance of stopping it.
Protect your identity if you gave your licence or Social Security number.: New York’s DMV advises a credit freeze or fraud alert with Equifax, Experian and TransUnion if you shared personal information.
Change any password you typed in.: On the real site, and anywhere you reused it.
Report it.: At ReportFraud.ftc.gov or to the FBI at ic3.gov, and forward the text to 7726 or use your phone’s Report Junk. Then delete it.

If it was your parents, read Look after your parents, and if a card number or password has gone, Breaches explains what each kind of leaked data lets criminals do.

The official way to check

Go to your state’s DMV site yourself.: Type its address into the browser, such as dmv.ca.gov, dmv.ny.gov or txdmv.gov, and look up your record there.
Call the number you already know.: From the DMV’s own website or a letter you received, not the text.

Someone on the phone asking for money right now? Guides has the two-step answer. More scams by name are on Is this a scam?, and new ones reach the Situation Room.

Questions

Does the DMV text you about unpaid tickets?

No. California, New York and Texas have each said they don’t send texts asking for payment, and Texas’s DMV doesn’t collect ticket or toll fines at all.

I paid a DMV text. What should I do?

Call your bank on the number on your card and ask them to block it and dispute the charge. If you gave your licence or Social Security number, place a credit freeze, then report it at ReportFraud.ftc.gov.

Is the DMV text the same as the toll text scam?

It’s the same kind of scam from the same senders: some texts say you owe the DMV, others a toll agency. Both link to a payment page that takes your card.

Sources

Sources checked on 7 Nov 2026.

California DMV: DMV scam alert, published 7 August 2025, updated 2 February 2026: the DMV doesn’t text payment links; example texts; type dmv.ca.gov yourself; report to the FTC.
Texas DMV: TxDMV warns Texans about ongoing text scam, 8 July 2025: TxDMV doesn’t issue or collect fines or text about violations; report to IC3 or the FTC.
New York DMV: DMV warns New Yorkers about latest barrage of scam texts, 19 March 2026: texts threaten licence suspension; NY DMV never sends such texts; credit freeze if you shared details.
FTC: That text about an overdue traffic ticket is probably a scam, 21 July 2025: texts pose as DMVs in many states; the threats used; contact the DMV through a number or site you know.