Scam involves people claiming to work for Illinois stage agencies

Illinois residents are advised to be alert for text messages from individuals claiming to represent state government agencies. 

Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul’s office is warning that the unsolicited messages may be SMS phishing, or “smishing” scams, and people should delete and not open links or respond to such texts.

 The attorney general’s office is warning of increased instances of people receiving unsolicited text messages from individuals claiming to represent the Illinois Secretary of State’s office and the Illinois Department of Transportation. 

Texts inform recipients they must validate their driver’s license information by clicking on a link provided in the message.

“People should know that government agencies will not request sensitive personal information via unsolicited text messages,” Raoul said in a news release.

“If you receive such a message, even if the phone number appears to be local, do not respond. If you are unsure about whether the request is legitimate, contact the agency in question using information from the agency’s official website.”