Amherst Police Warn of Widespread DMV Text Message Scam

Local police are warning folks about a new scam that looks pretty legit.

It's going on via text message, and it appears to come from the DMV.

WGRZ reports residents have been warned of the scam by Amherst Police.

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"Police say these fraudulent text messages look like they're being sent from the Department of Motor Vehicles, and they include a link to a fake website. The text tells the recipient to update their contact information, in an attempt to gain access to sensitive personal information."

If you receive a text like this, know it's a scam. Delete the message and don't click or tap on any links.

The NYS Office of Information Technology Services (ITS) recommends following these precautions to protect yourself from online phishing scams:

-Be cautious about opening messages, and only open ones from numbers you recognize.
-See if you can look up the sender's number or information to verify if the message is actually official communication.
-See if it looks "scammy," like if the messages contain poor grammar, strange phrasing or unfamiliar URLs.
-Don't click on links from a message unless you're certain of the source.
-Don't give out personal information over text.
-Don't post sensitive personal information online.