The Cyber Security Association of Pennsylvania is warning residents about what it’s calling a dangerous scam targeting Pennsylvanians via text message that has been increasing over the last few days.
The fraudulent message claims to be a final notice from the “Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Motor Vehicles (DMV),” threatening penalties for an alleged unpaid traffic ticket. However, the details of the message reveal it to be a scam designed to steal personal and financial information, the association said in an email sent out Monday.
“Cybercriminals count on confusion between state agencies and poor digital hygiene. This is why education and awareness are critical. Know how PennDOT communicates, and never trust a message that pressures you to pay quickly or click unfamiliar links,” Scott Davis, chairman of the Cyber Security Association of Pennsylvania, said in the email.
The association said that the text message originates from the international phone number +63 962 537 7419 (a Philippines-based number) and other random addresses, and urges recipients to pay immediately via a suspicious link: https://padmv.gov-wsafa.win/portal. This domain is not affiliated with any official government agency and uses a “.win” extension, rather than the legitimate “.pa.gov” or “.gov” domain used by real government sites, according to the association.
It references a statute — “15c-16.003” — which does not exist in Pennsylvania’s administrative code, further confirming its fraudulent nature. It also uses improper formatting, such as “June2, 2025” without appropriate spacing, and inaccurately refers to the state agency as the “DMV.” In Pennsylvania, the Department of Motor Vehicles is known as PennDOT (Pennsylvania Department of Transportation), and does not issue traffic violation notifications or collect payments through unsolicited text messages.
If you receive the text message, do not click the link or respond. Instead, report the message as junk or phishing directly from your device. If you have already clicked the link or submitted payment, contact your financial institution immediately, file a report with your local law enforcement agency, and notify the Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General, the association said.
The Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission said that since April 2024, various versions of a phishing or smishing scam have been targeting individuals with a Pennsylvania area code through text messages claiming to be from the Pa. Turnpike.
This is not unique to the Pa. Turnpike; scammers are impersonating toll roads across the country, the commission noted.
Phishing and smishing are both cybersecurity scams that use social engineering to trick victims into sharing sensitive information. Phishing primarily targets email, while smishing use text messages.
More information on the scam, with tips on how to respond, can be found at this link.
