At the beginning of the month the New York State DMV released a warning about a phishing scam that was pretending to be the DMV and asking victims to pay a ticket within 48 hours or their license will be revoked. This is not the first time something like this has happened and won’t be the last. Also just because this was in New York doesn’t mean your state couldn’t be next.
The payment link in the email (shown below) would infect the computer with malware that would place a tracking tool as well as try and acquire personal information.
The email did have some red flags to it. One was that the link sent you to a site other than a ny.gov URL on top of the fact that the DMV said that they would never send emails urging motorists to pay tickets within 48 hours or lose your license. They did say that they do send emails with links, but they would always lead to a page on a state affiliated website.
If you should encounter this email, or any suspicious email you should delete it without clicking any links. If you ever want to check a link you can hover over the link with your mouse (without clicking) to reveal the URL. Phishing emails are on the rise lately and have become more sophisticated. They are not always generic emails sent to the masses, but can be very targeted and specific like this DMV one. You should always use caution with emails that ask for personal information.
If phishing is something that scares you SWK can help. We have a Phishing Defender service that is designed to train employees how to spot phishing emails because knowledge is the best defense against phishing attacks.
Contact us to learn more.
