The Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles warned Floridians on Wednesday to be aware of an email fraud scam that recently surfaced. Fraudsters are allegedly using the Department’s name and email address, DoNotReply@flhsmv.gov, to send emails that appear to be from the DHSMV.
The emails look like receipts from online transactions with the Department and include confirmation and tracking numbers. According to the DHSMV, the numbers are not official tracking numbers and the email addresses of the recipients are not from the DHSMV’s database.
An indicator that the email is fraudulent is that it comes from two senders: DoNotReply@flhsmv.gov and another address that varies and may look like a personal email address. All department email addresses contain @flhsmv.gov as the domain. The DHSMV also does not send transactional receipts from personal email addresses.
If you receive one of these emails and did not make a recent transaction, the DHSMV recommends that you immediately delete the message. If you have already opened the message, do not click on any of the links within it. The emails are not from the DHSMV and the links embedded therein take recipients to non-DHSMV websites that may contain malware.
The DHSMV wants Floridians to understand that their system has not been hacked and that they have numerous measures in place to protect personal information. In this particular instance, an email was made to look like it was from a trusted source. Its aim was to trick the recipient into clicking upon a link that would lead them to a website with malware. The name for this type of spam is “phishing.”
Information security is a top priority for the DHSMV. Their aim is to provide consumers with information they can use to protect themselves from scammers by sharing this information with the public.
The Department offers the following recommendations for all computer users:
• Update anti-virus software daily.
• Update systems and programs (such as Adobe, Java, browsers and operating systems).
• Be extremely wary of unexpected emails that contain links or attachments. Do not click on the links or open the attachments.
• Users who click on such links should check their systems for abnormal activity.
• Concerned users should change all passwords using a clean computer, especially passwords for financial institutions (both personal and corporate banking accounts).
The Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles provides highway safety and security through excellence in service, education and enforcement. The department is leading the way to a safer Florida through the efficient and professional execution of its core mission: the issuance of driver licenses, vehicle tags and titles and operation of the Florida Highway Patrol.
To learn more about the DHSMV and the services offered, visit them at www.flhsmv.gov, follow them on Twitter or “Like” them on Facebook.
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