Idahoans Should Watch Out For These Two Traffic Violation Scam Texts

With the rising popularity and capability of artificial intelligence, determining what is real and what is fake is becoming increasingly difficult. But there are still ways to verify the validity of most things, including scam texts and emails.

AI is getting really good at pretending to be real, but it isn’t perfect, and neither are the humans crafting the scams that have robbed people of billions of dollars. Some scammers have even begun using AI to help improve the quality of their scam, but you can find out what to look for and stay safe below.

Authorities Warn Idahoans of Traffic Violation Scams to Watch Out For

Police across Idaho have posted messages on social media warning residents of a variety of scams that have been reported recently. The Idaho Transportation Department just shared one that has been going around pretending to be from the court, law enforcement, or the DMV.

They remind residents to never click on links in emails or texts that don’t end in .GOV or threaten legal action or ask for money. In the text example posted by the ITD, you can also spot a number of grammatical errors, and the texting number seems odd. If it seems odd, it probably is.

Not all scams come through text, and some really do look real. An official-looking scam was posted in the ITD comment section. But, again, it had oddities, a court hearing from the State of Idaho, but for a court in Missouri is a big red flag. Also, the threatening words like ‘Immediate Action required’ and ‘Failure to Act or Appeal’ are another dead giveaway that the message isn’t from the government.

Another big error is that the notice cites Idaho Code 49-64 and 65, but there are only 35 chapters in Title 49 regarding Motor Vehicles. Plus, Idaho doesn’t have toll roads. The QR code to pay your balance (which we blurred out so you don’t accidentally activate it) is also a red flag.

While scammers aren’t perfect, they are getting better, so we all need to get better at spotting these big and small clues that the message is a scam. Remember, not all scams are text or email; you could get mail or a phone call scam.