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The FBI has issued a warning to millions of iPhone users to delete a commonly received scam text immediately upon receiving it.
Attacks on both iPhone and Android users in the United States have reportedly spiked more than 700% during the past month and the latest involves scammers trying to target iPhone users by posing as the Department of Motor Vehicles. The scam text warns that the users would be subjected to having their driving privileges revoked or face potential jail time if they don't pay unpaid fines with a link and instructions on how to pay.
FBI Supervisory Special Agent David Palmer told WREG in Memphis that the DMV scam is a copycat scheme of a toll scam that the bureau already issued a warning about.
“In Tennessee, it didn’t really make sense because there are no toll roads here. But that lasted for about a year, and I think at some point, most of the criminal organizations that are behind this realized that people are realizing in Tennessee, it’s not going to work. So, now we’ve pivoted to the DMV scam," Palmer said.
The phony messages are reportedly operated by overseas criminal groups using technology and AI to send mass messages, reportedly at rates of thousands per hour to unsuspecting victims.
“It costs next to nothing for them to use these algorithms to send these messages and calls out, but in return, they can achieve getting your personal information, putting malware on your phone, which then can go in and steal information from your device, or collect your payment information,” Palmer said.