Kerr County officials warn citizens about ‘Smishing’

Kerr County officials are passing on a Texas Department of Motor Vehicles warning to local residents so they don’t fall prey to a new smishing scam. According to Kerr County Tax-Assessor-Collector Bob Reeves, “Some individuals around the state are experiencing instances in which they receive text messages masquerading as the TxDMV and that try to get individuals to divulge personal information.”

Many people are familiar with “phishing” – the fraudulent practice of sending emails purporting to be from reputable companies in an attempt to get people to reveal personal information. Reeves says that this latest scam, called “smishing”, is like phishing in that it also is a malicious attempt to get a person’s information that can later be monetized.

A notice issued by the TxDVM stresses that they will never reach out to an individual via email or text requesting any personal information from someone.

Anyone receiving a suspicious text message is asked to follow the recommended course of action: Never click on any of the links within the text message; Block the sender of the message; Delete the text message; Always rely on self judgement.

Smishing is quickly becoming an emerging and fast-growing threat in the world of online security To learn more about fraudulent messaging and text messages, the TxDMV IT representatives recommend visiting: https://efraudprevention.net/home/templates/?a=3.

Reeves added, “In today’s world of technology, when we’ve become pretty reliant on doing everything at our fingertips, it is best to heed this warning. We should all remain vigilant and exercise caution in our day-to-day electronic communications.”