The Creek County Sheriff’s Office has issued a statement in response to the latest texting scam involving claims of an overdue traffic ticket, aiming to inform the public and put fears about the scam at ease.
In a statement posted to their Facebook Page, CCSO announced “yet another new scam is making the rounds,” and pointed out that this one was purporting to be from the Oklahoma Department of Safety concerning unpaid traffic fines.
“Rest assured, it is, in fact, a scam. Do not click the provided link, do not pay the ‘fines,’ and do not provide any personal information…” the department said.
A similar scam has reached the Sapulpa Times office; it has the same intent, though some particulars have been changed. This one is supposedly from the DMV, and the cited statute differs from the one mentioned in the scam on the CCSO’s Facebook Page:
Scams of this nature have been around since texting became popular, although certain tools and a more technologically literate generation have made them easier to spot and report. On the other hand, scammers have found increasingly innovative ways to con their victims, so the need to be wary remains.
The Federal Trade Commission has addressed these situations directly, warning people not to click links or share personal information.
Learn more about spotting and avoiding text scams at ftc.gov/textscams. And report them to the FTC at ReportFraud.ftc.gov.
