Park County, CO – A new phishing scam is circulating in Colorado, targeting residents with fraudulent messages claiming to be from the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV).
The Park County Sheriff’s Office issued a public warning Friday, alerting residents not to fall for a text message falsely stating that the recipient has an unpaid traffic violation. The scam claims that enforcement actions will begin today, May 31, unless a payment is made through a suspicious link.
According to a post shared by the sheriff’s office, the message references a fictitious section of the U.S. Administrative Code and lists penalties such as suspension of vehicle registration and driving privileges, a 35% toll booth service fee, and even threats of prosecution and damage to one’s credit score.
The message urges individuals to click on a link with a domain ending in “.icu,” which is commonly associated with scam and phishing operations. Authorities stressed that this message is not legitimate and should be ignored.
“No official government agency will ever demand immediate payment via a suspicious link or threaten legal action through a text message,” the Park County Sheriff’s Office stated. “Another ridiculous scam that tries to sound legit. Don’t fall for it.”
Residents are urged not to click any links or respond to the message. Instead, they should report the scam to local law enforcement or the Colorado Attorney General’s Office. Those who may have entered personal or financial information are advised to monitor their accounts and consider identity theft protection services.
Officials continue to remind the public to remain skeptical of unsolicited texts or emails requesting payment or sensitive information.
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