PIERRE, S.D.: The South Dakota Department of Public Safety (DPS) is warning residents about a scam text message campaign circulating across the state that falsely claims recipients owe traffic ticket fines and face legal action if they do not pay immediately.
These messages are not legitimate. The State of South Dakota does not send traffic ticket notices via text messages.
The fraudulent messages appear to come from the “South Dakota Department of Vehicles (DMV)” and include threatening language such as:
“South Dakota Department of Vehicles (DMV) Final Notice: Enforcement Penalties Begin on June 10. Our records show that as of today, you still have an outstanding traffic ticket. Please pay immediately before enforcement to avoid license suspension and further legal disputes.”
What You Should Know:
- Do not click on any links or open any attachments in suspicious messages.
- Do not respond to the text, and do not send payment to any unverified source.
- Do not provide personal or financial information in response to these messages.
How to Stay Safe:
- Verify ticket status through official channels only, such as the South Dakota Unified Judicial System (UJS) or by contacting your local Clerk of Courts office.
- If you receive a suspicious message, report it to the South Dakota Attorney General’s Consumer Protection Division at 1-800-300-1986 or consumerhelp@state.sd.us.
- Consider blocking the sender and deleting the message after reporting it.
- Keep your devices updated and install trusted antivirus or anti-phishing protection.
Residents are urged to remain cautious and help spread the word, especially to those who may be less familiar with digital scams.
For more information and resources on identifying and reporting scams, visit the South Dakota Consumer Protection website at consumer.sd.gov.