COLDWATER, MI (WTVB) – The Branch County Sheriff’s Department is warning residents about a surge in “smishing” scams involving fraudulent text messages that impersonate the Michigan Secretary of State (SOS) and other government agencies.
These messages often claim the recipient has an “unpaid traffic ticket” or a delinquent toll violation, threatening immediate penalties such as license suspension or vehicle registration holds if a fine is not paid by a looming deadline. To appear legitimate, the texts may include fake case numbers, official-looking seals, or links to high-quality clones of state websites that trick users into entering sensitive credit card or personal information.
The Michigan Department of Attorney General and Michigan State Police have clarified that the Secretary of State will never demand payment or personal data via unsolicited text or QR codes. Authorities highlighted several red flags, including the use of “DMV” (Department of Motor Vehicles) a term not used for Michigan’s driver services, and links leading to non-governmental domains.
Residents who receive these messages are urged not to click any links and to forward the suspicious texts to 7726 (SPAM) before deleting them to help federal investigators track the fraud.
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