Illinois Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias in forms residents to remain vigilant for fraudulent text messages this holiday season. In a press release, Giannoulias says do not open the messages or click any links, as this new wave of scam texts will claim that you owe money for traffic violations or tolls.

Such text messages often tell the recipient that their vehicle registration or driver's license are at risk of suspension and request immediate action through an embedded link. These texts are known as phishing attempts, where senders attempt to instill fear into a victim to acquire money or personal information.

Giannoulias reminds Illinoisans that the Secretary of State's Office will only send messages to remind residents of scheduled DMV appointments. He says anyone who may have received a scam message to report the scam to the Federal Trade Commission through their reporting website.

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