The Mississippi Department of Public Safety is warning residents to beware of a statewide scam.
Folks across the state have received a text message from a sender purporting to be from a Driver Service Bureau. The message notifies the recipient that they have an unsettled traffic violation and must pay a fine to avoid further legal action, including driver’s license suspension.
A link is typically provided, with the recipient encouraged to click it to satisfy what the scammer says is an outstanding balance.
“Please be advised that this message is a scam. [The Mississippi Department of Public Safety] nor [Driver Service Bureaus] will send text messages requesting payment or personal information,” an official statement from DPS reads.
Officials strongly urge the public not to click any links within these messages and to delete the text immediately after reporting it as spam through respective mobile carriers.
“We urge the public to remain vigilant and take extra caution when receiving unsolicited messages,” the statement further reads.
Officials remind Mississippians that government agencies will never demand payment or threaten legal action via text. Any message that indicates one is in hot water over an unpaid fine is almost certainly a scam, DPS adds.