LAFAYETTE PARISH — Another round of fraudulent text messages claiming to be from the “Louisiana Department of Motor Vehicles” is circulating across Acadiana, according to the Louisiana Office of Motor Vehicles.
Officials stress the messages are fake.
Over the weekend, KATC’s Paris Flannigan received one of the texts. The message claimed she had a traffic ticket due and warned that failure to pay could result in fines, a violation flag or invalid vehicle registration.
Drivers from Opelousas to Carencro reported receiving the same message.
Gerald Battle, a CDL driver, said the text initially appeared legitimate.
Although he did not click the link, Battle said the message was still concerning.
“There’s different ways we are doing stuff over the internet now, so it is intimidating and nerve racking because when you are scammed you lose access to your bank accounts,” he said.
Battle also says he normaly receives letters in the mail if the OMV needs to contact him.
Another motorist, Jennifer Domingue, said she immediately questioned the message.
“I do not have any outstanding parking tickets or anything like that,” she laughed.
The Office of Motor Vehicles said one clear red flag is the name used in the message. The agency notes it is the Louisiana Office of Motor Vehicles — or OMV — not the “Department of Motor Vehicles” or DMV.
Officials are urging residents not to click on links in unsolicited messages from unverified sources and not to share personal information by text. They also recommend deleting suspicious messages and reporting them to reportfraud.ftc.gov.
The OMV advises residents to confirm any message is from a legitimate source and to watch for common scam warning signs, including vague website links, grammatical errors and promises of rewards.
Anyone needing legitimate online services should visit the OMV’s official website directly by typing in www.expresslane.org rather than clicking a link in a text message.
We have included the official state verified links here:
Homepage:
https://www.expresslane.org/ [expresslane.org]
Driver’s License status check.
https://www.expresslane.org/DLStatus [expresslane.org]
State officials encourage residents to spread the word, especially to friends and family members who may be more vulnerable to scams.
