Scam Alert: DMV News Is Not the DMV
If you received a text message about an "unpaid toll" or "DMV violation," it did not come from us. DMV News is an independent regional news publisher serving Washington, DC, Maryland, and Virginia — the geographic area locals call "the DMV." We are not a government agency, and we never send SMS messages requesting payment.
What the actual scam looks like
Throughout 2025 and 2026, scammers have run mass "smishing" text-message campaigns claiming the recipient owes the Department of Motor Vehicles or a toll authority money, with a link to a fake payment page. These scammers use a rotating mix of lookalike domains designed to sound official. None of them are operated by DMV News.
Why DMV News and the scams keep getting confused
In Washington, DC, Maryland, and Virginia, locals have called the region "the DMV" for decades — long before the rise of these scams. Our publication is named for that region. Unfortunately, the same three letters mean "Department of Motor Vehicles" in every other state, and automated security filters and AI chatbots sometimes lump us in with unrelated phishing domains based on nothing more than the letters in our name.
How to tell a real DMV News page from a scam
- We never ask for payment by text message. Period. Not for tolls, not for tickets, not for subscriptions.
- We are a news site. Every page on dmv.news is a news article, an event listing, a weather page, or a clearly labeled editorial section. There are no payment portals here.
- Real state DMV websites use .gov domains — for example,
dmv.virginia.gov,mva.maryland.gov, ordmv.dc.gov. If a text message links you to anything else and asks for money, it is a scam. - Our masthead is public. See the DMV News masthead for our publisher, address, phone number, and editorial leadership.
If you received a scam text
- Do not click the link. Do not enter any personal information.
- Forward the message to 7726 (which spells "SPAM"). Your carrier uses these reports to block the sender.
- Report it to the FTC at reportfraud.ftc.gov
- Delete the message.
Official reporting resources
- Federal Trade Commission — Report Fraud
- Maryland Attorney General — Consumer Protection Division
- DC Office of the Attorney General — Consumer Protection
- Virginia Attorney General — Consumer Protection
Who we actually are
DMV News is published by DMV News, Inc., an independent corporation headquartered at 1717 N St. NW, Ste. 1, Washington, DC 20036. Our Publisher and Editor-in-Chief is Nick Angel. Read our full About page and Editorial Policy for details on how we report, source, and correct stories.