LINCOLN - The Nebraska Department of Motor Vehicles is aware of illegitimate text messages targeting Nebraskans purporting to be from a DMV office. These unsolicited messages are scams and are not sent by the Nebraska DMV or county treasurers’ offices.

The text messages are often unsolicited messages from unfamiliar phone numbers that claim the recipient either owes, or is owed, a large sum of money to a DMV office. The recipient is then directed to click a link. These links should not be interacted with and the message should be deleted as soon as possible.

The Nebraska DMV can under certain circumstances send text messages to customers, but only if the recipient voluntarily opts in. The DMV will also not send messages demanding payment or promising a refund.

“We are disheartened that DMV customers are being targeted by scammers and thieves,” said Rhonda Lahm, Director of the Nebraska DMV. “It is important to know the difference between scam attempts and legitimate contact with the DMV. The DMV will not send unsolicited text messages demanding money or offering money.”

The following is an example of an attempted scam in Nebraska and tips on how to spot them: