Lawton Police Warn About DMV Text Message Scams

If you live in Oklahoma, chances are you've received a text from a random number claiming to represent the Oklahoma Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV). Although many folks are aware not to quickly believe messages like this, there's always room for concern when you receive a message about anyone threatening fines, legal action and other consquences.

The Lawton Police Department notified the Lawton community that the text they've received is a scam and should be treated as such. They shared on their public Facebook page an example of the text and how Oklahomans should respond.

There are a few warning signs if ever you receive a text like this one to help you decide if it really is a scam or not. We'll share with you easy things to look for to decide for yourself.

"We have received calls in reference to the below text message. It is a scam that is circulating."

If you received a text that looked like this today, June 6, or recently, then you've been contacted by a scammer.

Townsquare Media Staff

The Lawton Police Department warned community members "please do not pay at the link" and to contact the Oklahoma Tag Agency at https://oklahoma.gov.

For some users, you can report the number as "junk" and block the number from receiving messages in the future.

Tips and tricks to help identify a scam

Unfortunately, we live in times where there will likely always be a risk of scammers, scam texts and manipulative tactics to get information and money. Usually, there are a few tell-tale signs that can signal to anyone that they're dealing with a scammer, such as:

And out-of-area contact number (in the case of texts) or unknown contact.
A threat to "act now" with urgency.
Links

Always pay close attention to the sender. In this case, it would be more likely to receive a paper statement from a government entity warning citizens about series legal action being taken. After all, everyone needs a paper trail for court.

If you were not expecting an email or text from someone, be suspicious of receiving messages like these out of the blue.

Lastly, never send money without verifying through a trusted source where you're sending your money to. This includes government businesses you routinely work through, such as the Oklahoma Department of Transportation or the Tag Agency.

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