Text message Scam: Did you receive an text message claiming Georgia (DMV) Final Notice: Enforcement Begins September 5rd

text message and Online Scams -

Have You Received a Scam Driving Violation text message?
Phone 1198996, claiming Georgia (DMV) Final Notice: Enforcement Begins September 5rd

Did you receive an text message from Phone 1198996, claiming Georgia (DMV) Final Notice: Enforcement Begins September 5rd? Did they then instruct you to Please pay immediately before enforcement begins to avoid license suspension and further legal trouble or something similar?

No state motor vehicles department sends out text messages like this, For example, the Georgia Department of Driver Services (DDS) has warned about fraudulent text messages claiming to be from the "Georgia State Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV)," which does not exist. Georgia's official agency is the DDS. These scams often threaten license suspension or legal action for unpaid traffic tickets and direct users to fake websites like the one in your message (dds.govxbxvq.vip), which is not the official DDS website (dds.georgia.gov or dds.drives.ga.gov). The DDS does not send unsolicited texts requesting payment or personal information, and official notifications about license suspensions are sent in writing, not via text. Additionally, the message's phrasing, such as "September 5rd" and "September 4nd," contains grammatical errors, and the cited "Georgia Administrative Code 15C-16.003" is often used in these scams to sound legitimate but is not a valid reference for this context.

Don't fall for it, if you call them back or follow their instructions you will lose money and possibly your identity! The people behind this are the worst kind of human scum; willing to do anything to scare, threaten, lie, cheat and steal money from anyone, including the elderly and poor. They usually operate out of Nigeria, China, Russia and even some developed western countries. Attachments typically include malware to infect your computer, tablet or phone and allow the scammer to capture your passwords.

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1. Report received:

   Georgia (DMV) Final Notice: Enforcement Begins September 5rd.

   Our records indicate that as of today, you still have an outstanding traffic ticket. Pursuant to Georgia Administrative Code 15C-16.003, if you fail to pay by September 4, 2025, we will take the following actions:

   1. Report to the DMV violation database

   2. Suspend your vehicle registration effective September 4nd

   3. Suspend your driving privileges for 30 days

   4. Pay a 35% service fee at toll booths

   5. You may be prosecuted, and your credit score will be affected.

   Pay Now:

   https://dds.govxbxvq.vip/pay?CRB=ZS4JI3Z

   Please pay immediately before enforcement begins to avoid license suspension and further legal trouble.

   (Reply Y and reopen this message, or copy it to your browser.)

    

Information About Phone 1198996, claiming Georgia (DMV) Final Notice: Enforcement Begins September 5rd

 

There are several websites that focus on reports of scam text messages.

The links below go to pages on these other websites were you can read reports about the scams associated with this phone number (Phone 1198996, claiming Georgia (DMV) Final Notice: Enforcement Begins September 5rd):

• Microsoft Safety and Security Center
• Microsoft Community - Windows Support Scam - I was called by someone who said they were windows support and my computer was sending them warnings and messages!
• ARS Technica

 

It is a scam

Don't fall for it.  It is a scam.

What to do

1.  Do not click the link or provide any personal or financial information.
2.  Delete the message immediately and block the sender.
3.  Verify your license status directly on the official DDS website at https://dds.drives.ga.gov/_/.
   - Consider reporting the scam to the DDS or local authorities.
   https://dds.georgia.gov/press-releases/2025-05-27/text-message-scam.
   https://dds.georgia.gov/fake-text-scams.
   https://www.wjbf.com/news/georgia-law-enforcement-warns-of-dmv-scam-text-messages/.
4. If you've already clicked the link or provided information, contact the DDS at (404) 651-8600 (metro Atlanta) or (800) 869-1123 (outside metro) and follow their identity theft prevention steps.
   https://dds.georgia.gov/fake-text-scams.

Apple offers the following advice:

If you get a suspicious Email:
Scammers spoof phone numbers and use flattery and threats to pressure you into giving them information, money, and even iTunes gift cards. Always verify the caller's identity before you provide any personal information. If you get an unsolicited call from someone claiming to be from Apple, hang up and contact us directly.

Microsoft says:

Tech support scams are an industry-wide issue where scammers use scare tactics to trick you into paying for unnecessary technical support services that supposedly fix contrived device, platform, or software problems.
Scammers may call you directly on your phone and pretend to be representatives of a software company. They might even spoof the caller ID so that it displays a legitimate support phone number from a trusted company. They can then ask you to install applications that give them remote access to your device. Using remote access, these experienced scammers can misrepresent normal system output as signs of problems.

Cybercriminals don't just send fraudulent email messages and set up fake websites. They might also call you on the telephone and claim to be from Microsoft. They might offer to help solve your computer problems or sell you a software license. Once they have access to your computer, they can do the following:

Trick you into installing malicious software that could capture sensitive data, such as online banking user names and passwords. They might also then charge you to remove this software.

See these pages for guidance as applicable to your specific situation:

• If you are certain you don't owe a debt: What to do about harassing Emails
• If you may owe a debt: Debt collection Emails - what they may do, what the may not do and how to stop them
• If you are being harassed by the collector: file a compliant against a debt collector with the FTC - Use this form to submit a complaint to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) Bureau of Consumer Protection about a particular company or organization..
• How to stop telemarketers

Protect Yourself:

The following documents and websites can help you learn more about phishing and how to protect yourself against phishing attacks.

• Avoiding Social Engineering and Phishing Attacks
• Protecting Your Privacy
• Understanding Web Site Certificates
• Anti-Phishing Working Group (APWG)
• Federal Trade Commission, Identity Theft
• Recognizing and Avoiding Email Scams

Methods of Reporting Phishing Email to the US Government

• In Outlook Express, you can create a new message and drag and drop the phishing email into the new message. Address the message to phishing-report@us-cert.gov  and send it.
• In Outlook Express you can also open the email message^* and select File > Properties > Details. The email headers will appear. You can copy these as you normally copy text and include it in a new message tophishing-report@us-cert.gov .
• If you cannot forward the email message, at a minimum, please send the URL of the phishing website.

* If the suspicious mail in question includes a file attachment, it is safer to simply highlight the message and forward it. Some configurations, especially in Windows environments, may allow the execution of arbitrary code upon opening and viewing a malicious email message.

For More Information About Phishing, See:

• Click Here for a copy of NCL's Phishing Brochure.  Requires Adobe Acrobat Reader'.
• How Not to Get Hooked by a 'Phishing' Scam  [PDF version]
  Offers tips on how to avoid falling victim to a new type of spam scam in which consumers are deceived into handing over personal financial information.
• Is Someone "Phishing" for Your Information?  [PDF version]
  Cautions consumers about emails that claim to be from government agencies in an attempt to steal personal information.
• Digital PhishNet Web site.
• Phish Report Network - a cooperative effort by several companies providing an information clearinghouse that will be run by WholeSecurity, a provider of client-side security solutions.
• Internet Crime Prevention & Control Institute, a cooperative effort between Zero Spam Network Corp. and the University of Miami. Staffed by Miami undergraduate and graduate students and Zero Spam employees, works closely with the Secret Service's Electronic Crimes Task Force and ISPs in the United States and abroad to identify and block traffic to machines hosting phishing sites.
  • Report A Crime
  • FTC Fraud Reporting

There are several websites that focus on reports of scam Emails.

The links below go to pages on these other websites were you can read reports about the scams associated with this phone number (855-687-1444, claiming This is Microsoft. This call is to inform you that your Microsoft license key has expired):

• Microsoft Safety and Security Center
• Microsoft Community - Windows Support Scam - I was called by someone who said they were windows support and my computer was sending them warnings and messages!
• ARS Technica

Related Scams

There are a number of common telephone scams, such as:

• Collect Call scams
• Inmate collect call scams
• Phone service is about to be cut off
• Telemarketers

and some new and as yet, uncommon scams.

 

For a comprehensive list of national and international agencies to report scams, see this page.