#268 / Final Notice! Don't Bite!

 

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Here is a "Final Notice" I received as a text message on my phone. I got this text message on July 19th: 

 

California State Department of Vehicles (DMV) Final Notice

Enforcement Penalties Begin on July 20.
Our records show that as of today, you still have an outstanding traffic ticket. In accordance with California State Administrative Code 15C-16.003, If you do not complete payment by July 19, 2025, we will take the following actions: 

1. Report to the DMV violation database
2. Suspend your vehicle registration starting July 20
3. Suspend driving privileges for 30 days
4. Transfer to a toll booth and charge a 35% service fee
5. You may be prosecuted and your credit score will be affected 

Pay Now: https://cadmv.com-tiel.date/pay 

Please pay immediately before enforcement to avoid license suspension and further legal disputes. 

(Reply Y and re-open this message to click the link, or copy it to your browser).

I did not take the action this bulletin told me to take, and it is now, as you can see, late in September. I am still waiting for those "enforcement penalties [to] begin."

There were a number of tip-offs that this "Final Notice" was a scam. First, I did not have, and still don't have, any "outstanding traffic tickets." Second, even if I did have an "outstanding traffic ticket," of which I was somehow unaware, don't you think that such a traffic ticket would already be in the "DMV violation database?" Third, the name of the state agency is the "Department of Motor Vehicles," which is why its name is abbreviated as "DMV." You should expect an official communication from the DMV to get the name of the agency right. Fourth, when I used the internet to track down the "Administrative Code" Section cited in the text message, I found that this section of law doesn't have anything to do with traffic violations: 

California Code of Regulations Title 15, Division 1, Chapter 6, Article 1, Section 16.003, focuses on the use of force in correctional institutions. Specifically, it addresses the types of force that may be used and the procedures for using force, including reporting requirements.

The fifth and final tip-off that this advisory bulletin was a scam is the fact that the bulletin I have reproduced above was sent by a phone with the following number: +63 964 072 2153. The "country code" and the "area code" on this text message didn't seem familiar, so I looked them up, and here is what I found when I did: 

"The phone number +63 964 is a valid format for a mobile number in the Philippines. The +63 is the country code for the Philippines, and 964 is a valid prefix for a mobile number.

Here's a breakdown:
+63: This is the international country code for the Philippines.

964: This is a valid prefix for a mobile phone number in the Philippines.

Mobile numbers in the Philippines are typically 10 digits long: This means you would expect to see a 7-digit number following the 964 prefix.

Therefore, a number like +63 964 123-4567 is a valid mobile number in the Philippines."

Older people (I'm one) are preyed upon, every day, by scam artists who use the worldwide internet to trick people out of their money. 

It's irritating to get a scam message like the one I have just reported. It's just plain unsettling, and to be responsible, the targeted person may have to do some considerable amount of work, just to be sure that it really is a scam. What is even more irritating, though, is what happens when you "bite," and then actually do what some scam artist says you have to do. I am not sure I have this story completely and exactly right, but I have a friend who was told by a phone call from her bank that the bank account maintained by her and her husband had been used to purchase child pornography, and that she needed to take $24,000 out of her bank account, immediately, in $100 bills, to resolve an outstanding complaint against her. If she didn't, the whole matter would become a public scandal the next day. This friend actually did make the cash withdrawal - $24,000 - without letting her husband know; however, another family member luckily found out about the plan in time, before this friend physically turned the money over to the scammer. Crisis avoided, but it was really, really close!

Young or old, anyone can be a target. So, please don't "bite." When you get any kind of demand that you pay money to avoid some sort of terrible consequence go talk to your friends and associates, or to your children. Check it out! Don't think you have to make those pressing deadlines you will be told about.

Don't "bite"! 

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Image Credit:

https://abc7.com/post/california-dmv-eliminates-written-test-requirement-most-drivers-70-older-renewing-license/15380120/