Drivers License 'Smishing' Scam Targeting Illinois Residents

CHICAGO — A pair of SMS phishing, or “smishing,” scams targeting hundreds of Illinoisans with a dire warning to update their expired drivers licenses, purportedly from the Illinois Secretary of State.

Smishing is a form of phishing that uses mobile phones as the attack platform to gather personal details, like SSN or credit card number. They phish through text messages or SMSs, hence the name SMiShing. Secretary of State Jesse White is warning Illinois residents not to open the texts and to delete them immediately.

“I have zero tolerance for fraudsters who prey on people in desperate times,” White said in a written statement. “My office is working with the Illinois Attorney General’s office to protect Illinoisans from falling victim to these fraudulent schemes. In addition, we have notified the Federal Trade Commission and the FBI.”

In the first scam claiming to be from the Illinois Secretary of State, the text messages contain vague references to “Problems with your information” and another to “*IL* Secretary of State.”

Each text also contains a link attributed to “uipendingcases.org.” White says the text is a scam and recipients should not click on the link or provide any information. Visiting the website could place malware on the recipients’ devices or trick them into disclosing sensitive personal information that could be used on the dark web.

The Secretary of State’s office never requests personal information, like a Social Security number, via text message, White added.

In the second scam, fraudulent websites are offering online vehicle registration renewals for license plate stickers and then charging residents an additional fee for the registration.

One particular website — IllinoisCarReg.com -- is misleading customers with an unauthorized website promoting online license plate sticker renewals. Once the customer provides personal information, the sham company charges the customer a fee of $39.99, in addition to the sticker fee.

The company, which has websites for multiple states across the nation, is currently under investigation by the Federal Trade Commission in an effort to shut it down. The feds are concerned that the company may be using the personal data it obtains from customers.

White strongly urges Illinois residents who wish to renew their license plate stickers to make sure they are visiting CyberDriveIllinois (www.cyberdriveillinois.com) before proceeding to renew their stickers online.

The process is simple and easy. Residents need their registration ID and PIN, which are located on the renewal notice and registration card — which most people keep in their vehicle’s glove compartment. Vehicle owners may then visit Cyber Drive Illinois License Plates Renewal.