{"id":2450450,"date":"2025-06-22T11:02:59","date_gmt":"2025-06-22T15:02:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/fbi-investigates-viral-scam-messages-you-need-to-delete-these-texts-now\/"},"modified":"2025-06-22T11:09:21","modified_gmt":"2025-06-22T15:09:21","slug":"fbi-investigates-viral-scam-messages-you-need-to-delete-these-texts-now","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/fbi-investigates-viral-scam-messages-you-need-to-delete-these-texts-now\/","title":{"rendered":"FBI Investigates Viral Scam Messages: You Need to Delete These Texts Now"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">24<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Ffbi-investigates-viral-scam-messages-you-need-to-delete-these-texts-now%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2450450&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>The FBI has issued a warning about a new scam involving fake text messages that pose as communications from the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV). Cybercriminals are sending these deceptive messages to scare recipients with threats of unpaid tickets, aiming to steal personal details and money. This type of fraud, known as &#8220;smishing&#8221; (a combination of SMS and phishing), is on the rise, with experts reporting that billions of spam texts are being sent.<\/p>\n<p>Criminal organizations, often based overseas, use advanced technology to automate the distribution of these messages, which leads to a small number of victims responding. Recent reports highlight that these scams have been seen in multiple states, including Tennessee, New York, California, and Texas. The FBI advises individuals to be cautious, not click on suspicious links, and verify the legitimacy of any unsolicited messages by contacting the official agency directly. Signs of a scam text include spelling errors, strange logos, and the use of agency names that do not exist. If someone believes they have been targeted, they are encouraged to report it to the FBI&#8217;s Internet Crime Complaint Center.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<p><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><\/p>\n<section> \t\t\t\t<script>console.log(\"ad slot (AC1)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC1)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC2)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC3)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC4)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (REP_0)\")<\/script><\/p>\n<p>The FBI is warning of a particularly sinister text threat, which appears to be a new spin on an old scam.<\/p>\n<p>Cybercriminals are sending fake text messages posing as the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.vice.com\/en\/article\/dmvs-selling-data-private-investigators-making-millions-of-dollars\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Department of Motor Vehicles<\/a> in various states, to catch people off-guard, scare them, and then attempt to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/18-year-old-issues-chilling-warning-losing-25k-mere-seconds-started-1-text\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">steal<\/a> their money and, potentially, their identity, <a href=\"https:\/\/wreg.com\/news\/investigations\/fbi-investigates-viral-dmv-text-scam-unpaid-ticket-message-is-fake\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">WREG-TV<\/a> reported.<\/p>\n<p>The scam texts &ldquo;[] an urgent message about a supposed unpaid ticket and even [threaten] prosecution,&rdquo; per the outlet.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Smishing,&rdquo; per <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ibm.com\/think\/topics\/smishing\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">IBM<\/a>&lsquo;s Matthew Kosinski, is a combination of &ldquo;short message service&rdquo; &mdash; or SMS &mdash; and &ldquo;phishing,&rdquo; which form the technology behind these deceptive text messages.<\/p>\n<p>In a&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/krebsonsecurity.com\/2025\/01\/chinese-innovations-spawn-wave-of-toll-phishing-via-sms\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Krebs on Security<\/a> article, Ford Merrill, who works in security research at SecAlliance, explained that China-based cybercriminals are selling SMS phishing kits in order &ldquo;to phish enough information from victims that their payment cards can be added to mobile wallets and used to buy goods at physical stores, online, or to launder money through shell companies.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p> <script type=\"text\/javascript\"> \t\t\tif ( getCookie( \"ff_subbed\" ) ) { \t\t\t\tdocument.getElementById(\"stnvideo\").remove() \t\t\t} else { \t\t\t\tdocument.addEventListener(\"DOMContentLoaded\", function() { \t\t\t\t\tfunction loadScript(src) { \t\t\t\t\t\tconst script=document.createElement(\"script\"); \t\t\t\t\t\tscript.src=src; \t\t\t\t\t\tscript.async=true; \t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.body.appendChild(script); \t\t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\t\tfunction findPreviousParagraph(selector, x) { \t\t\t\t\t\tconst targetElement=document.querySelector(selector); \t\t\t\t\t\tif (!targetElement) { \t\t\t\t\t\t\tconsole.warn(\"Target element not found.\"); \t\t\t\t\t\t\treturn null; \t\t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\t\t\/\/ Get all <\/p>\n<p> elements in order as they appear in the document \t\t\t\t\t\tlet paragraphs=Array.from(document.querySelectorAll(\"p\"));  \t\t\t\t\t\t\/\/ Find the index of the last <\/p>\n<p> before the target element \t\t\t\t\t\tlet targetIndex=paragraphs.findIndex(p=> p.compareDocumentPosition(targetElement) & Node.DOCUMENT_POSITION_PRECEDING);  \t\t\t\t\t\tif (targetIndex===-1 || targetIndex <x) { \t\t\t\t\t\t\tconsole.warn(\"Not enough paragraphs before the target element.\"); \t\t\t\t\t\t\treturn null; \t\t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\t\treturn paragraphs[targetIndex - x]; \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\t\/\/ Set up IntersectionObserver \t\t\t\t\tfunction observeElement(element) { \t\t\t\t\t\tif (!element) return;  \t\t\t\t\t\tconst observer=new IntersectionObserver( \t\t\t\t\t\t\t(entries)=> { \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tentries.forEach(entry=> { \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tif (entry.isIntersecting) { \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tconsole.log(\"Paragraph is now visible:\", entry.target.textContent.trim()); \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tloadScript(\"https:\/\/embed.sendtonews.com\/player3\/embedcode.js?fk=s28Az7AY\"); \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tobserver.disconnect(); \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t\t\t\t\t}, \t\t\t\t\t\t\t{ threshold: 0.5 } \/\/ Adjust threshold as needed \t\t\t\t\t\t);  \t\t\t\t\t\tobserver.observe(element); \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\t\/\/ Find the 1st paragraph before #stnvideo and observe it \t\t\t\t\tlet paragraphToObserve=findPreviousParagraph(\"#stnvideo\", 2); \t\t\t\t\tobserveElement(paragraphToObserve); \t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t} \t\t<\/script> <\/p>\n<p>In March, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.forbes.com\/sites\/zakdoffman\/2025\/03\/23\/iphone-android-users-bombarded-by-chinese-attack-do-not-ignore-fbi-warning\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Forbes<\/a> highlighted the scope and scale of this scam attack, with one expert calling it &ldquo;astronomical&rdquo; and &ldquo;alarming.&rdquo; In February alone over 19 billion spam texts were sent to the U.S.<\/p>\n<p>WREG warned on June 11, scammers are trying to use local law enforcement department names to trick people.<\/p>\n<p>FBI Supervisory Special Agent David Palmer told the outlet, &ldquo;It costs next to nothing for [the scammers] to use these algorithms to send these messages and calls out, but in return, they can achieve getting your <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/sen-josh-hawley-big-tech-thrives-taking-selling-private-data-without-permission\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">personal information<\/a>, putting malware on your phone, which then can go in and steal information from your device, or collect your payment information.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Palmer explained that the unpaid ticket texts are probably copycats of the toll scam messages the FBI had <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ic3.gov\/PSA\/2024\/PSA240412\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">previously warned<\/a> about.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">Have you received a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/why-reviving-trumps-remain-in-mexico-policy-will-swiftly-reduce-border-chaos\/\" title=\"Why Reviving Trump\u2019s \u2018Remain In Mexico\u2019 Policy Will Swiftly Reduce Border Chaos\">text suggesting<\/a> you may owe unpaid tolls on your vehicle? There is a good chance it&rsquo;s a fraudster trying to get your personal information. Learn more about this scam here: <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/zYW4AzhdzG\">https:\/\/t.co\/zYW4AzhdzG<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/iSA7b4NeYN\">pic.twitter.com\/iSA7b4NeYN<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; FBI Seattle (@FBISeattle) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/FBISeattle\/status\/1902393435367067951?\">March 19, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>Palmer said, &ldquo;In Tennessee, it didn&rsquo;t really make sense because there are no toll roads here.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>He explained that as the criminal organizations behind the toll messages realized that <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/boycott-disney-new-marvel-show-agatha-all-along-hyped-as-gayest-show-yet\/\" title=\"Boycott Disney: New Marvel Show \u2018Agatha All Along\u2019 Hyped as &#039;Gayest&#039; Show Yet\">people weren&#038;rsquo<\/a>;t falling for unpaid tolls, they pivoted to unpaid tickets.<\/p>\n<p>According to Palmer, these scam messages are controlled by criminal groups overseas, who use AI, algorithms, and other technology to send thousands of scam messages an hour. And they only need a few to respond.<\/p>\n<p>Palmer advised that these scams only work if people engage with the scammers, warning, &ldquo;If you don&rsquo;t know who it&rsquo;s from, don&rsquo;t click on the link.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Palmer ended by saying &ldquo;We take all these very seriously, and we encourage anyone who has received these messages and especially anyone who has clicked the link or sent money to immediately go to the FBI&rsquo;s Internet Crime Complaint Center at <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ic3.gov\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">ic3.gov<\/a>.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>WREG d the following <a href=\"https:\/\/wreg.com\/news\/investigations\/fbi-investigates-viral-dmv-text-scam-unpaid-ticket-message-is-fake\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Ways to Tell the Text is a Scam<\/a>:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Look for spelling or <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/facebook-fact-checks-scientific-piece-arguing-coronavirus-originated-in-chinese-lab\/\" title=\"Facebook \u2018Fact Checks\u2019 Scientific Piece Arguing Coronavirus Originated in Chinese Lab\">grammatical errors<\/a> in the text<\/li>\n<li>Remember that <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\" >real government agencies won&#038;rsquo<\/a>;t send texts<\/li>\n<li>Watch for slightly different logos and names mimicking government agencies.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>While investigating these fraudulent texts, a WREG investigator personally received one of these scam messages stating it was from the &ldquo;Tennessee Department of Vehicles.&rdquo; This sent up immediate red flags because the &ldquo;Tennessee Department of Vehicles&rdquo; is not a legitimate state agency.<\/p>\n<p>Palmer&rsquo;s advice is to do a quick search for contact information for the department listed in the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/shady-voting-group-caught-in-swing-state-voter-suppression-scheme\/\" title=\"Shady Voting Group Caught In Swing State Voter Suppression Scheme\">scam text message<\/a> and try calling them directly.<\/p>\n<p>The <a href=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/2025\/06\/16\/tech\/fbi-issues-urgent-text-scam-warning-to-iphone-users\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">New York Post<\/a> d that the following <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/revealed-cybercrime-growing-threat-states-biggest-targets\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">states<\/a> reportedly affected by these scam ticket texts so far include: Tennessee, New York, California, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, and Texas, as well as Washington D.C.<\/p>\n<div style=\"position: relative;\">\n<div class=\"ff-fancy-header-container\"> \t\t\t \t<\/div>\n<div class=\"entry-submit-correction inner-content\">\n<div class=\"correction-form\">\n<form style=\"display: none;\">\n<div class=\"sc-name-field\"> \t\t\t\t\t\t<label>* Name<\/label> \t\t\t\t\t\t<br \/> \t\t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"text\" name=\"name\" required> \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<div class=\"sc--field\"> \t\t\t\t\t\t<label>* <\/label> \t\t\t\t\t\t<br \/> \t\t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"text\" name=\"\" required> \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<p> \t\t\t\t\t<label>* Message<\/label> \t\t\t\t\t<br \/> \t\t\t\t\t<textarea name=\"message\" required><\/textarea> \t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<div class=\"required-message\" style=\"display: none; padding-bottom: 15px;\">* All fields are required.<\/div>\n<p> \t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"submit\" value=\"Submit\" onclick=\"event.preventDefault(); firefly_sc();\"> \t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<div class=\"firefly-sc-confirm\" style=\"display: none;\">Success!<\/div>\n<\/p><\/form>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p> \t\t<script> \t\t\tfunction firefly_sc() { \t\t\t\tif( typeof window.captchaPublicKey==typeof undefined ){ \t\t\t\t\tconsole.error('window.captchaPublicKey is not defined'); \t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\tgrecaptcha.execute( window.captchaPublicKey, { action: 'submit_correction' } ).then( function( token ) { \t\t\t\t\tvar opts={ \t\t\t\t\t\taction:    'firefly_sc_submit', \t\t\t\t\t\tname:      document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"name\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\t:     document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\tmessage:   document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"message\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\tpost_id:   firefly_post_id, \t\t\t\t\t\tcap_token: token \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\tvar inputs=[ 'name', '', 'message' ];  \t\t\t\t\tfor( var i=0; i <inputs.length; i++ ) if( ! ( opts[inputs[i]]=document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"' + inputs[i] + '\"]' ).value ) ) { \t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .required-message' ).style.display='block'; \t\t\t\t\t\treturn; \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction input[type=\"submit\"]' ).style.display='none'; \t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-submitting-img' ).src=firefly_loading_gif_url; \t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-submitting-img' ).style.display='inline-block';  \t\t\t\t\tconsole.log( 'ma subbing' );  \t\t\t\t\tif( firefly_post_id ) opts['post_id']=firefly_post_id;  \t\t\t\t\t\/* Send the data using post with element id name and name2*\/ \t\t\t\t\tvar posting=jQuery.post( firefly_ajax_url, opts );  \t\t\t\t\t\/* Alerts the results *\/ \t\t\t\t\tposting.done( function( response ) { \t\t\t\t\t\tif( response.success ) { \t\t\t\t\t\t\tconsole.log( response.data ); \t\t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-submitting-img' ).style.display='none'; \t\t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-confirm' ).style.display='block';  \t\t\t\t\t\t\tdataLayer.push( { 'event': 'submit-correction' } ); \t\t\t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t} \t\t<\/script> \t     \t\t\t\t\t\t     \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<p style=\"border: 1px solid #f5f5f5; padding: 16px;\">Advertise with The Western Journal and reach millions of highly engaged readers, while supporting our work. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/advertise-us\/?wj_source=article\">Advertise Today<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><script>console.log(\"ad slot (BA1)\")<\/script> \t\t<\/p>\n<div class=\"ff-fancy-header-container\"> \t\t\t \t<\/div>\n<\/section>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The FBI has issued a warning about a new variation of an old scam involving deceptive text messages. Cybercriminals are impersonating the Department of Motor Vehicles in different states to catch individuals off guard, instill fear, and attempt to steal their money and possibly their identity, according to WREG-TV. These scam texts often claim there is an urgent issue regarding an unpaid ticket and may even threaten legal action. This type of fraud, known as &#8220;smishing,&#8221; combines SMS (short message service) with phishing tactics. Experts have noted that cybercriminals based in China are selling kits for SMS phishing to extract enough information from victims to use their payment cards for purchases or launder money through shell companies<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2450451,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Phone-Scam.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[33651],"tags":[19536,50645,57684,32190,57685],"class_list":["post-2450450","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-western-journal","tag-cybersecurity","tag-fbi-2","tag-scam-messages","tag-text-messages","tag-viral-alerts"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Phone-Scam.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2450450","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2450450"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2450450\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2450454,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2450450\/revisions\/2450454"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2450451"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2450450"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2450450"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2450450"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}