Millions of iPhone users across America are being urged to look out for a concerning text message — and to delete it immediately if they do.
Text scams are nothing new, but there's reportedly been over a 700 percent increase this particular type of text in the last month, says Forbes.
The increase has sparked police alerts across the country, and now the FBI have weighed in on the matter as well.
Americans have long been plagued with fake unpaid toll texts, but now these messages have seemingly become more advanced as fraudsters are posing at the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) from different states.
What's the point of the texts?
Reportedly, these official-looking messages threaten people with having their driving privileges revoked or even possible jail time if they don't pay an unpaid fine.
Advert
But this is all fake, and it's just someone trying to steal your personal details, officials have warned.
What have officials said?
FBI Tennessee’s Supervisory Special Agent David Palmer recently stated that such texts 'put malware on your phone, which then can go in and steal information from your device, or collect your payment information'.
Palmer also warned that if you get a text from somebody you don't know with a link on it, you shouldn't click it.
With this in mind people are being urged to delete these kind of messages from their iPhones and Android devices as soon as possible.
Guarido, which offers protection against malware, identity theft, and phishing on your browser, has been tracking these fake toll texts for months and have noticed a worrying '773 percent surge in DMV scam texts during the first week of June' alone.
"These scam texts lead to phishing websites designed to steal people’s credit card information and make unauthorized charges," Guardio added, as per Forbes.
DMV Commissioner Mark J. F. Schroeder has weighed in on the matter as well.
"These scammers flood phones with texts, hoping to trick unsuspecting people into handing over their personal information. DMV will never send texts asking for sensitive details," he said.
States that are reported to have been affected by these texts include Tennessee, New York, California, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Texas, and Washington DC.
What to do if you get a message
Firstly, do not click on any links in the text to reply to it. Simply delete it. If you have put personal details in, you should secure your personal accounts ASAP.
People are also being urged to file a report with the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center at IC3.gov, which you can do so here.
Topics: Crime, Technology, US News, iPhone
Niamh Shackleton