Officials are warning people about a new scam in the form of a fake email claiming to be from the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles.
The St. Johns County Clerk of Court posted a warning about the email that demands payment for a traffic citation.
The email sent to consumers includes a linked payment page and email address.
The fake email says if payment isn’t received within three days, the person's driver's license may be suspended and a $50 late fee will be issued every three days until it is paid.
DHSMV says it will never email citations to people and would never require payment through email.
Travis Croce, who lives in the St. Johns County area, told Action News Jax he would be skeptical of such an email.
“If I saw something like that I would want to contact the department or agency that sent it,” Croce said.
“If I don’t know who it’s from or anything about it, delete!” Cathy Wasta said.
The DHSMV and Clerks of Court said consumers should note the following:
- The DHSMV and Clerks of Court do not email citations to customers;
- The DHSMV and Clerks of Court do not require citation payment via email;
- Citation numbers are always seven alpha-numeric digits;
- If a consumer receives a notice regarding a suspicious citation, they should contact the local Clerk of Court or call the DHSMV immediately.
For more information, visit the DHSMV notice about the scam.
Cox Media Group
