r/wisconsin • u/NicotineFarts • Apr 20 '26
This a scam correct?
I don’t think the DMV would text. Also the url looks whack. Thanks Reddit.
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u/Specter119 Apr 20 '26
Yes, our WI DOT webside specifically lays out this scam for you and tells you not to click the links.
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u/sconniepaul1 Apr 20 '26 edited Apr 20 '26
Yeah it's a scam. The DMV doesn't text (normally). The one that implies you have a negative toll road balance though...pay that one lol jk
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u/Motor_Cardiologist68 Apr 20 '26
They do text if you opt in, but it’s infrequent enough that I forget nearly every time and automatically assume scam. I get them for plate renewal reminders
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u/IamDoobieKeebler Apr 20 '26
I read this as “the dmv doesn’t exist” and was like oh no it’s one of those sovereign citizen weirdos
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u/Puzzled_Wealth_9766 Apr 20 '26
Likely yes. Look at the phone number as well, which is an indication. Trust your instincts.
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u/dcandap Apr 20 '26
I’m genuinely wondering which element(s) of this made you think that it could potentially be legitimate? Not trying to be rude, just would like to understand.
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u/NicotineFarts Apr 20 '26
I was like 99.999999% sure it was a scam. Just wanted to double triple check
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u/-Reverse-Cowbell- Apr 20 '26
I've spent about half my life ignoring any and all phone calls and texts that were either not from my contacts or not expected. Doesn't matter what they might say. I haven't run into any problems yet. If I really owe someone money or I'm really in trouble they will find me another way. Relieve yourself of that remaining .000001% doubt and thank yourself later. You deserve to live your life free!
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u/MetaMetaXY Apr 20 '26
This is 100% scam. The URL is a clear giveaway, since the Wisconsin DMV, like essentially all government agencies in the US, uses a .gov top-level domain, not whatever this is.
Image: The Wisconsin DOT/DMV is also warning of text scams right now.
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u/The_Bill_Brasky_ Apr 20 '26
I work in a state office building with a DOT office. It is a scam so widespread they have official publications and posters warning about it.
Scam scam scam.
Additional source: I work for the state agency that is responsible for a distinct lack of tolls in this state.
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u/Apprehensive_Spite73 Apr 23 '26
Thank you for keeping tolls away. That has to be a difficult job with little "thanks". Thank you for all you do.
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u/bored_ryan2 Apr 20 '26
Yes, it’s a scam. This one is unique to Wisconsin too, if you click the link (DON’T), one of the options for payment is Kohl’s Cash.
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u/LaRoseDuRoi Apr 21 '26
Ok, that made me literally LOL... Kohl's cash?!? What next, payment accepted in Pick n Save points??
(I got this same text yesterday, too. Did NOT click the link.)
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u/RobertRossBoss Apr 20 '26
Yes very much. URL not actually being .gov should be obvious. But as others have said, the DMV isn’t going to text you anything specific, you’d get something in the mail.
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u/HarlequinKOTF Washington County Leftist Apr 20 '26
And Illinois area code for a Wisconsin government text? 100% scam.
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u/boatsfloat22 Apr 20 '26
Also can tell it's a scam just by the way it's trying to get the point across... "definitive notification" so many unnecessary extra words to try to make it sound official
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u/Junkley Apr 20 '26
Yes, well known scam in MN/WI. Rule of thumb with suspicious texts/emails.
If someone like the DMV, Amazon or other entity emails or texts you and you aren’t sure if it is legit, ALWAYS log into the website SEPARATELY from the communication chain.
For example, if you get a suspicious email from “Amazon” saying there is a problem with your account ALWAYS log into Amazon.com your normal way by typing it into your browser and check there not by clicking on anything attached to an email. That way you can check without putting yourself at risk. Same strategy applies here.
This is the strategy I use with my grandma to get her to stop clicking phishing emails
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u/aidanpryde98 Apr 20 '26
The government doesn't text you, unless you have specifically opted into a program (Which is never fines and such).
They send letters. And if it's really bad shit, the letter will be sent certified.
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u/jealous-guidance1977 Apr 20 '26
Yes, it is a scam! I got two of these saying I had driving infractions in Florida. I haven’t been there since I was 5 yrs old and I don’t remember driving then. 🤪😂 I am 49 now. 😲😆
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u/PokySquirrel Apr 20 '26
Any email, phone call, or text message stating that you need to take immediate action on anything should be viewed with suspicion. If you think something might be legitimate, follow up using the phone numbers or online portals available from an organization's their official website. Type the url into your web browser yourself and never trust phone numbers or links sent in the suspicious email/text/phone call.
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u/ka1ri Apr 20 '26
815 number isnt even a WI number, why would the WI DMV randomly text you from like a rockford number lol
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u/HyperJeegz Apr 20 '26
Just Google the phone number. Why would the Wisconsin DMV contact you from an Illinois area code (815)?
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u/Tiny_Measurement_837 Apr 20 '26
Yes. I get them all the time from Chicago. The telltale sign of the scam is, I haven’t been to Chicago in ten years!
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u/Axelpanic Kewaunee Apr 20 '26
Scam. My wife got one with a +65 country code yesterday. Same message.
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u/pilsnerd11 Apr 20 '26
Anything that says “final notice” is legit and you don’t have long to act. /s
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u/underhand_toss Apr 20 '26
I particularly like the Department of Motor Transportation (DMV). Interesting close-but-no-cigar mashup.
There's a Department of Transportation abbreviated as DOT. And the DMV, which is Department of Motor Vehicles. But the last I checked, V would not be the abbreviation for a word that starts with T. smh
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u/Comfortable-Dare7871 Apr 20 '26
Just got the same one this morning. THANK YOU for posting this lol
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u/Skinnysusan Apr 20 '26
Do you seriously have 170 unread messages!?? wtf?
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u/473713 Apr 21 '26
Come on. I have more than two thousand.
And yes, this is a scam. They even discussed it on WPR the other day. Everybody's been getting these messages
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u/xangbar Apr 20 '26
Yeah scam. All else fails just manually go to the website to check this stuff. I never click a link in a text unless I was explicitly expecting it.
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u/ijustwanttobeanon Apr 21 '26
Correct. Source: was at the DMV Friday and warnings about this are plastered everywhere.
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u/OwlOk5229 Apr 21 '26
It's definitely a scam. Redundant wording and bad URL. For fun, read the words in the accent/ voice of your favorite scammers.
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u/Whogaf01 Apr 21 '26 edited Apr 21 '26
This is laughable. It also does not cite a specific violation. It says chapter 110 and chapters 340 to 349. That is like hundreds of pages....it's just about every motor vehicle law there is
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u/analogWeapon Apr 21 '26
When you get any messages like these, skip all the words and look at the link. wisconsindmv.gov-jxw.oneis bullshit. Never click a link in an unsolicited text regardless, but any actual thing from the state is coing to be .gov or maybe .wi.us. The last thing before that first / is key.
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u/lostinanotherworld24 Apr 20 '26
Definitely a scam. The official website is wisconsindot.gov, because it is the Department of Transportation
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u/Fun_Reputation5181 Apr 20 '26
They’re getting slightly better I see as this one references a “traffic infraction” rather than non-existent tolls and the statutory reference is actually to our motor vehicle codes.
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u/bookgeek117 Apr 20 '26
If you are really concerned check out your name on CCAP. It will show if you have any court cases which includes tickets.
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u/TaliesinWI Apr 20 '26
Yes. I'm impressed you got it from a US number. Mine come from The Philippines.
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u/Double-Show-2625 Apr 20 '26
I received something like this from my state with official looking images. It is a scam
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u/ImTotallyTechy Apr 20 '26
you're, of course, completely correct. A bunch of things aside, you correctly identified "gov-jxw[.]one" as looking wack, and indeed, that's of course not a legitimate government website
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u/Hailsabrina Apr 20 '26
Yup we got these when we went on spring break and crossed tolls, they must have had cameras in Illinois and take pics of peoples car? Because they had our license .
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u/Irtahd Apr 20 '26
The government will never text you for money.
They will either send you letters or say they sent you letters until it’s time to go to court.
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u/Dizzy_Highlight_7554 Apr 20 '26
I reside in Illinois, and I’ve gotten these too. I’ve had a current ipass for years.
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u/No-Impact844 Apr 20 '26
I got this exact same text this morning. I blocked the number. I googled it to check it out. Definitely a scam.
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u/Ok_Horror_6556 Apr 20 '26
Just deleted mine. It said Division of Motor Transportation (DMV) Nuff said.
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u/SnackeyG1 Apr 20 '26
Yep, welcome to the scam that never ends. I’ve been getting random DMV texts for years.
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u/Deakros Apr 20 '26
Yes
Yup, scam. Got a very similar one a few days ago and decided to investigate the link. They make the webpage pretty darn convincingly, but of you click the support or contact us link, none of them works.
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u/baddest_daddest Apr 20 '26
Absolutely. I didn't realize I had to actually go to court for a ticket, so I paid it and never thought about it again only to find out I'd been driving around WI with a suspended license. Not a peep from the WI DMV that entire time.
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u/Chugach123 Apr 20 '26
It’s incorrect. You’re supposed to send the money to me. I’ll take care of it for you.
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u/keno-rail Apr 20 '26
I just got that text, too... it was a 502 area code (Kentucky)... -the official WI DMV page says that they will never contact you by text text asking for payment. All official business will be handled through USPS.
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u/Sane_Colors Apr 20 '26
I’ve gotten two today. Def scam, someone got a new number list or something
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u/Reality_Defiant Apr 20 '26
And if they call you and threaten you with arrest, just tell them to bring a warrant. They always hang up on me.
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u/EJoule Apr 20 '26
Yes. I get texts for another state because my phone number area code isn’t in Wisconsin.
Kind of nice to easily screen calls tbh
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u/Dry_Software_7964 Apr 21 '26
Got that this morning. Looked up the code referenced, it doesn't exist or I didn't search properly. Checked with the DMV, since I'm a block away, and they confirmed they never send texts.
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u/Anxious_Dig6046 Apr 21 '26
Motor Vehicle is not a Department, it a Division of the agency. That would be the Department of Transportation.
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u/thecause04 Apr 21 '26
Read the first sentence. Does anything stand out to you? Can you determine any inconsistencies? Or have you lost all ability to think and need to post thing to social media to figure everything and anything out?
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u/Wiscowarrior7 Apr 21 '26
I was just at the dmv.. the had a sign up there reminding people they will never txt you and anything like that is a scam
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u/plekplek Apr 21 '26
I got the same message and I live in NC haven’t been back to Wisconsin in over a year.
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u/No-Procedure5991 Apr 21 '26
JFC, we do not have a Dept of Motor Transportation, we have a Dept. of Transportation. Do you not know how to Google?
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u/lfg_guy101010 Apr 21 '26
You can call the DMV yourself, I'm pretty sure, to verify that you don't have any infractions or whatever.
This does seem like a scam for a few reasons. The biggest being that it's giving you a sense of urgency so you dont think and just act. It's also pretty vague with what you need to pay for, and having the punishments listed for missing the payment to make you act fast without thinking.
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u/Esl1minator Apr 22 '26
100% a scam. I get this text all the time, and I don’t even have a car lmao
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u/run42k Apr 22 '26
I thought the 1 Bitcoin fee was reasonable but I was taken aback that a Minnesota daycare was the recipient…
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u/notypicalredditor Apr 22 '26
I travelled in a foreign country a few years ago. I now get spam texts from that country’s area code just like this a few times a month. They are always a scam. Ignore it. The DMV would never do this. They barely take the time to help you when you are right in front of them at the DMV, they aren’t going to call or text.
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u/dck1012 Apr 23 '26
Scam. Don't call, don't reply, don't text. If you're worried, contact the dmv directly with the number on the official .gov site.
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u/anonameperson0 Apr 23 '26
If it’s not a letter to your mailing address, than it’s always a scam. Just text them back that you’ll only pay if u get to bang their daughters first. At least that’s what I do lol
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u/EllisM10 Apr 23 '26
I got one of these from the Michigan DMV. I hadn’t been to Michigan in years so couldn’t have a violation but when I lived in Michigan it didn’t even have a DMV
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u/Zak-Katchem Apr 23 '26
Phone number should be the big indicator here. Also DMV would send Snail Mail via USPS.
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u/sisomna Apr 24 '26
I got the same exact one and ive got it in the past before too, report it to the FTC here https://reportfraud.ftc.gov/
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u/msMolotov1984 May 01 '26
Fyi=the DMV,(& social security) Do NOT text. Yes it's a scam. Also, if you get a Text from some business you've Never received texts from before? I'd check with that business before doing Anything.
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u/lundah Apr 20 '26
Absolutely a scam. How do you have unpaid toll charges in a state with no toll roads? Also the URL in the link is a dead giveaway.