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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
October 2, 2025 |
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LANSING – Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel is urging consumers to remain vigilant in light of increased reports of a scam targeting Michigan residents through fraudulent text messages. The scam (PDF) claims to be from the "State of Michigan Department of Vehicles" and falsely states that recipients have an unpaid ticket that must be paid immediately to avoid penalties such as license suspension, registration suspension, and legal action. The message includes a link to a fake payment site and instructs recipients to provide personal and financial information.
“These messages are scams,” Nessel said. “Michigan does not have a Department of Vehicles, and the Secretary of State does not send text messages threatening to suspend your license or registration. If you receive a text message like this, delete it, and do not click on any links.”
The fraudulent text messages contain several warning signs of smishing, a form of phishing using text messages. Consumers may have received a smishing text if it:
- Is unsolicited.
- Is sent from an unusually long phone number (10 or more digits).
- Includes a link that is likely shortened or scrambled.
- Is written with a sense of urgency, such as, “pay the ticket or your license will be suspended.”
- Contains grammatical and spelling errors.
- Promises a reward or prize if you respond or click a link.
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Requests personal or financial information.
Consumers should not reply to suspicious texts or click on links or attachments. Instead, they should use built-in spam-blocking tools on their mobile devices. Consumers can report smishing texts by forwarding them to SPAM (7726) and by sending the texts to the Federal Trade Commission.
Please note: The FTC is currently closed due to the federal shutdown. The agency will resume normal operations when the federal government is funded. The FTC’s page on ‘What to do if you were scammed,’ remains active throughout the shutdown.
To file a complaint with the Attorney General, or get additional information, contact:
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