Louisiana Office of Motor Vehicles Warns of Phishing Texts

BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — Louisiana's Office of Motor Vehicles is warning state residents that scammers are trying to get personal information with text messages. It says those messages claim that people can collect money from the office through an internet link.

A news release sent Thursday notes that the office's online transactions all are through its secure website, www.expresslane.org. It says it will never ask for sensitive personal information through text messages. The Office also encourages people to report suspicious or criminal activity through the Louisiana State Police website, www.lsp.org.

Tips Offered by Louisiana OMV to Avoid Scams

• DO exercise caution with all communications you receive from anonymous sources.
• DO confirm the message was generated from a legitimate source.
• DO keep an eye out for signs of phishing (rewards, vague URLs, incorrect grammar).
• DO NOT click on links in an unsolicited message from an unverified source.
• DO NOT send your personal information via text.
• DO NOT post sensitive information online.