Scam Alert: Fake “Indiana DMV” Message Tries to Trick Drivers with Bogus Fines and Phony Website

Staff report

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — June 4, 2025 — If you’ve recently received a suspicious text message claiming to be from the “Indiana Department of Vehicles (DMV)” demanding immediate payment for an alleged traffic violation — don’t panic, and definitely don’t click the link. It’s a scam. A lazy one, at that.

The fraudulent message, riddled with red flags and factual errors, threatens Hoosiers with bogus penalties unless they pay up through a sketchy URL disguised to look official. It even references a completely made-up law: “North Indiana State Administrative Code 15C-16.003” — which doesn’t exist. Neither does the “Indiana Department of Vehicles.”

It’s called the BMV — Bureau of Motor Vehicles — not DMV. That’s the first clue that the genius (not) masterminds behind this scam aren’t even from here, let alone smart enough to Google their target.

The fake message warns of license suspension, a 35% “toll booth” service fee, and damage to your credit score — none of which the actual Indiana BMV would ever communicate via unsolicited text with a shady link ending in .icu.

Delete the message, block them, and report it to the Indiana Attorney General’s Consumer Protection Division, and never provide personal information or payment through suspicious links.

https://www.in.gov/attorneygeneral/consumer-protection-division/file-a-complaint

For real traffic violations or official communication, visit the legitimate Indiana BMV site: https://www.in.gov/bmv/

The post Scam Alert: Fake “Indiana DMV” Message Tries to Trick Drivers with Bogus Fines and Phony Website first appeared on The Bloomingtonian.