The Colorado Division of Motor Vehicles is warning about a new wave of fraudulent text messages.

Scammers are “now directly impersonating the DMV, falsely claiming recipients have unpaid tickets and threatening severe consequences such as prosecution, suspension of vehicle registration, and revoking of driving privileges,” according to a news release.

The claims in these text messages are entirely false, the Colorado Division of Motor Vehicles said in the release. The primary goal of the fraudulent messages is reportedly to frighten recipients into clicking malicious links and divulging personal or financial information.

The fraudulent messages typically state that they are from the “Colorado DMV” or another official entity but are not, the release states. The Division of Motor Vehicles said it does not initiate contact via unsolicited text messages to demand payment for tickets or threaten prosecution.

The messages allege unpaid tickets or violations, threaten imminent legal action or prosecution, warn of suspended driving privileges and contain a link to a fake website, which the Division of Motor Vehicles said recipients should not click. Recipients should also not reply to the message and should not share any personal or financial information, the release states. 
Anyone with concerns about the status of their driver’s license, vehicle registration or potential tickets should contact the Division of Motor Vehicles directly at 303-205-5600 or visit dmv.colorado.gov.