Exposed Check

DMV scam text

This is a scam text pretending to be your state Department of Motor Vehicles. The DMV is not sending it.

What the message claims

That you have an unpaid traffic ticket or a traffic violation, and that you must pay now, either through a link or by scanning a QR code. Recent versions carry a state seal and a case number, both fabricated.

How to tell

In order. The first one holds even when the rest of the message looks completely real, which is the situation most people are actually in.

  1. It threatens something drastic and immediate.

    The FTC describes the threats as "default judgements, fines, enforcement actions. All stuff to scare you into (supposedly) making it all go away." Earlier versions threatened to suspend your registration and licence and add a 35 percent fee. Urgency is the mechanism: it is there to stop you checking.

  2. It asks you to scan a QR code.

    A QR code hides its destination, so none of the usual advice about reading a link before clicking applies. No court or DMV needs you to scan a code out of a text to deal with a violation.

  3. It looks official, with a seal and a case number.

    A seal and a case number are trivially copied and are not evidence of anything. The FTC notes both appear on the current version. Treat official-looking as neutral, not reassuring.

What the DMV actually does

A real traffic matter has a court or a DMV record you can look up yourself. Check the court’s own website for case information, or call the court or your DMV, using a number or web address you already know is correct rather than anything in the message.

Where to report it

The Federal Trade Commission
Report it at ReportFraud.ftc.gov, which is the FTC’s own reporting site.
Your mobile carrier
Forward the message to 7726, which spells SPAM on a keypad. It is free on every major carrier.

Where this comes from

Source
Federal Trade Commission consumer alert, 14 April 2026
First seen
July 1, 2025
Last confirmed active
April 14, 2026 current
Source checked
October 6, 2026

“don’t respond, and don’t scan the QR code. If you think the message might be real, check the court’s website for case information or call the court directly, but use a website or phone number you know is correct, not info from the text message.”

This record was compiled from the source above and has not yet had a second pair of eyes on it. Read the quoted line rather than taking our summary of it.