https://www.wmur.com/article/nh-hampton-warn-scam-texts-03072026/70652489
MANCHESTER, N.H. —
Hampton police and the New Hampshire Department of Safety’s Division of Motor Vehicles are notifying Granite Staters about a new text message scam in which recipients are asked to submit immediate payment to resolve an unpaid traffic fine. The text messages are fake and should be deleted immediately.
“So I got a text that seemed like it was from the DMV, and I was worried because I had gone through a toll recently, and I didn’t have an easy pass,” Sarah Poole from Nashua said.
“So it says it’s from the DMV, but it’s clearly like from a number, not from New Hampshire. It didn’t start from 603, but I’m like, this is this would be an email like this is clearly spam,” Hailey Butler from Manchester said. “So I just deleted it. But all I could think of was like, some people are going to get fooled by this.”
The department shared photos on social media, saying it has received multiple reports of community members getting similar messages.
The messages claim to be from the New Hampshire DMV. On Saturday, the DMV learned of text messages sent to New Hampshire residents that claim to be an “automatic alert” informing recipients they have “unresolved traffic violations.” The scam further threatens prompt enforcement actions, including suspension of the recipient’s vehicle registration, driver’s license restrictions, administrative fees, as well as potential civil action and credit implications if immediate payment is not made. The scam also provides a link for payment, which includes “dmv-nh” in the URL, an effort to appear to be an official State of New Hampshire website.
“The classic way that a scammer operates is they create artificial urgency with artificial authority asking you for money so that you act immediately without thinking,” cyber security expert James Gorman said.
If you received this text message, Gorman says you should report it as junk and delete it.
“These text scams use urgency to pressure recipients into making a quick payment,” said DMV Director John Marasco. “Anyone who receives a text message claiming to be from the New Hampshire DMV should not submit payment of any personal information. Instead, delete the message right away.”
The New Hampshire DMV never sends text messages regarding payments. The only text messages sent by the DMV are appointment reminders. Anyone who feels unsure about communication from the DMV should contact the DMV Customer Service line directly at (603) 227-4000 during regular business hours, says the New Hampshire DMV.
Anyone who believes they are a victim of a scam or identity theft should consider filing a report with their local police department, reviewing personal credit reports, and setting up fraud alerts or a credit freeze. Identity theft victims can also file a report with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) at IdentityTheft.gov or call 1(877) 438-4338. You may also call the NH Department of Justice, Consumer Protection Hotline Consumer Protection Hotline 1-888-468-4454 or (603) 271-3641: Weekdays 8:00 am to 5:00 pm.
If you suspect a vulnerable adult has been exploited, or the victim of abuse or neglect, you are mandated to report this to the NH Bureau of Adult and Aging Services, 603-271-7014, or report online at nheasy.nh.gov.
