MVD: Don’t fall for email scam

PHOENIX – Arizona consumers should be on the alert for a phony email scam that has been spotted in the Yuma region.

Yuma-area media have reported that some area residents have received an email purportedly from the “Department of Motor Vehicles” demanding that the recipient pay for a civil traffic violation within 48 hours or face arrest.

The email is clearly a hoax for several reasons. The motor vehicle agency for Arizona is officially known as the ADOT Motor Vehicle Division, and the MVD is not a law enforcement agency. It therefore has no authority to enforce traffic violations.

“We don’t send notifications that look like traffic citations,” said MVD Stakeholder Relations Manager Jennifer Bowser-Richards. “Consumers may get emails or other communications from the MVD regarding such things as vehicle registration renewals or updates about new services we provide, but we don’t enforce traffic violations or other criminal matters. If you see an email claiming that you owe money to the MVD for a traffic violation, please report it to law enforcement.”