Louisiana Office of Motor Vehicles warns of phishing texts

BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — Louisiana’s Office of Motor Vehicles warns state residents that scammers are trying to get personal information with text messages claiming that people can collect money through an internet link.

A news release Thursday noted that the Office of Motor Vehicles’ online transactions all are through its secure website, www.expresslane.org. The office will never ask for sensitive personal information through text messages, it said.

It recommends that people delete messages claiming to be from the Office of Motor Vehicles and purporting to offer refunds or other money.

It provided a photo of such a message, starting “Hey it’s Ben from The Motorvehicle Dept.”

The Office of Motor Vehicles’ message also encourages people to use the Louisiana State Police website, www.lsp.org, to report suspicious or criminal activity. The secure reporting form is located under a tab labeled “Suspicious Activity.”