The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) has sent out an urgent warning to UK drivers about "new scams" that could see them unknowingly give out important personal information.
Motorists across the country have been receiving messages purporting to be from the government organisation, that are in fact fake.
The DVLA took to Twitter to caution drivers about these fraudulent messages, issuing guidance on how to recognise a phoney text.
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It wrote: "Watch out for ‘phishing’ text or email messages, like these.
"DVLA will never ask you to reply, give personal or bank details or ask you to log into an account."
The agency continued: "New scams crop up all the time and you may be the next target. Make sure you use http://GOV.UK for DVLA services and information.
"Report misleading websites, emails, phone numbers, phone calls or text messages you think may be suspicious."
As reported by the Liverpool ECHO, here is a roundup of some of the DVLA scams that have been targeting drivers.
DVLA final request text scam
Among the increasingly common text scams are messages telling people that the DVLA has been trying to contact them and encouraging them to click the link. Simple advice: don't.
One such scam says: "FINAL REQUEST: DVLA Swansea have been trying to contact you. Click below for more information."
DVLA vehicle tax refund scam
Staying true to their roots and luring people in with the promise of free money, some scammers have taken to telling customers they're owed a refund due to overpaying vehicle tax.
But, it comes with the catch of clicking a cleverly disguised link where your personal details, and possibly money, will be stolen.
An example said: "After our recent annual calculations, you have overpaid by £103.07. Please follow our link in order to claim your refund."
DVLA failed payment scam
Scammers send emails to customers warning them that their vehicle is no longer taxed, and inviting them to click a link where they can rectify this.
The messages often say words along the lines of: "Your latest payment for your vehicle tax failed because there is not enough money on your debit card."
Other phrasing includes: "Your bank has declined twice the latest direct debit payment. If you will not update your information, your vehicle is no longer taxed."
DVLA not up-to-date with vehicle tax scam
A similar scam involves an email, reference number included, warning customers that they are not up to date with their vehicle tax.
If you have been sent a scam text or email, you are encouraged to report it. You can find information on how to report this to the National Cyber Security Centre or Action Fraud here.
It's not too late to recover lost money or data if you have fallen victim to these scams, so always act quickly and alert your bank and authorities like Action Fraud, the UK’s national reporting centre for fraud and cybercrime.
According to Action Fraud, best practice for keeping your personal information safe from scammers is to use strong passwords made up of three random words with special characters, and having a different password for email, banking and social media.
You can store these login details on your browser so you won't have to faff around trying to remember the right one.
Turn on two-factor authentication, regularly update your devices to fix defence weaknesses, and backup your tablets, laptops and mobiles in case your personal data is lost or stolen.
