REAL ID Scams: Beware of Texts and Emails

State officials are warning consumers that criminals are seeking their personal data under the guise of helping them obtain a REAL ID, a government-issued driver’s license or identification card that eventually will be required to board domestic flights or enter certain federal facilities.

Due to the pandemic, the deadline for a REAL ID compliant license has been pushed to May 3, 2023. The cutoff had been Oct. 1, 2021.

What Is Phishing?

Phishing is a technique identity thieves use to obtain sensitive data later used to open new financial accounts, invade consumers’ existing accounts, or infect a computer device with malicious software. Texts often direct consumers to a sham third-party website that asks for personal information.

In Illinois, other versions of the scam have emerged. The latest one is was purportedly from the state Department of Motor Vehicles and directs people to visit a sham website to validate details for a “driver license waiver,” which a state official said does not even exist.

Be Alert

No one will receive a text, email or call you out of the blue and ask you for personal and confidential information such your Social Security number, or driver’s license number.

Another telltale sign: Illinois has a Department of Driver Services and a Department of Vehicle Services, but not a Department of Motor Vehicles. Be wary of such errors as well as poor spelling or grammar, threats, and a web page address that does not match a legitimate site. If the message does not feel right, chances are it is not.

Another version of the scam in Illinois led to a warning early this year saying the name of its Department of Employment Security was being used in texts urging recipients to “click on a link to update their driver’s license or state ID to comport with upcoming federal REAL ID requirements.”

If you receive one of these text messages, don’t respond — delete it.

You may be asked questions about personal data only when you visit a Driver Services facilities but you’re never going to be asked for that information through a text or email. More tips: If you have a question about a suspicious communication supposedly from the state, visit a legitimate website, such as the one for the Illinois secretary of state, and report these scams to the Illinois Attorney General’s Consumer Fraud Hotline.

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