Scammers Phish For Personal Data By Targeting Utah Drivers
Jul 20, 2021, 6:32 PM | Updated: 9:43 pm
TAYLORSVILLE, Utah – The folks who issue driver licenses to Utahns have a bit of a chip on their shoulders, but it is a forgivable one: Everybody gets their name wrong!
You do not get your licenses from the DMV or the Utah Department of Transportation. You get your license from the state’s Driver License Division.
“That’s right, we’re our own division,” said Joe Dougherty, spokesman for the Utah Department of Public Safety – the umbrella the driver’s license division fits under.
Dougherty said the confusion will sometimes lead to the occasional eye roll from a staffer, but for once, they are celebrating it.
“Yeah, we are going to be just fine that they got this wrong,” he said.
I once reported on a driver license issue and drew the ire of people who work at the DRIVER LICENSE DIVISION when I referred to them as the DMV.
But, for once the DLD folks are happy for the confusion – it’s helping them fight scammers!
I’ll show you how on @KSL5TV at 6PM. pic.twitter.com/XDIHnnkz2A
— Matt Gephardt KSL (@KslMatt) July 20, 2021
“They” is whoever sent a text message to a KSL viewer, who forwarded it on to the KSL Investigators. It purports to be from the Utah Department of Transportation, and it is seeking to update driver license information.
As we established, UDOT does not handle the licenses.
“When we saw this, we knew right away that, of course, this was a scam,” said Dougherty.
Folks who clicked on a link were asked to fill out a form that would send all sorts of personal information to an identity thief through Google Docs, Google’s online word processor.
Dougherty said that when the state got word of the bogus text, they immediately called Google.
“It was shut down very quickly,” said Dougherty.
Alas, one thing we know about these scams is that every time the authorities shut down one ring, another ring of cybercriminals pops up in their place. So, watch out for this scam to keep coming back.
“The best thing we can do is (for) everyone be aware that these scams exist, and you’ll know how not to fall prey to them,” Dougherty said.
If you happen to fall for this scam, state officials asked that you report it to the FBI and consider investing in credit monitoring.
The kind of stuff the crooks were asking in this scheme could be used to open a line of credit or credit card in your name.
