PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — If you get a text saying you need to pay a traffic ticket, don’t open it. PennDOT says it’s a scam.
The text says if you don’t click on a link to pay an outstanding traffic ticket, you risk suspension of your license and registration, a service charge on tolls, and a ding to your credit score.
The text purports to come from the Pennsylvania Department of Motor Vehicles, but that department doesn’t exist.
PennDOT does have a Driver and Vehicle Services agency. PennDOT noted it does not send texts about traffic violations.
Drivers are urged to ignore and delete the texts or forward them to federal anti-fraud agencies. Scam texts can be reported to the U.S. Federal Trade Commission and the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center.
New Jersey's Transportation Department has posted a similar warning.