At Cyber Scam Review, we have been exposing a lot of scams for a long period of time. While most of the fake narratives seem obvious to the trained eyes, there are a few scams that still manages to surprise us. In today’s post, we are going to expose a phishing attempt that has affected millions of people in the United States called ADOT Text Scam.
This time, the crooks have disguised themselves as employees of the Arizona Department of Transportation and are asking for the public’s confidential information. No one truly understands the way they have managed to gain access to people’s mobile numbers, but it surely tells us a lot about the skills these crooks have.
Day by day, the kind of threats present online is increasing, and given the kind of risk they pose, it definitely is worth it to be aware of them. To know the typical patterns this type of fraud exhibits and to learn about their operational model, stick with us till the end.
If you are a US citizen, then you already know the abbreviation for ADOT. However, many people who have immigrated there or are there for a short period of time, probably don’t know that ADOT stands for Arizona Department of Transportation. As the name suggests, the primary objective of this organization is to ensure the safe functioning of the transportation system.
They work on a lot of highway-associated projects and they are even involved with the maintenance of Grand canyon Airport along with several other bridges in the region. They are funded by private individuals and organizations.
Note that, they interact with the public mostly through the following two websites only. If any other platform or service claims to be a part of the organization, then it is better to double-check their authenticity before proceeding with them.
What is ADOT Text Scam?
ADOT is a platform that helps people renew their Driver’s Licenses and other related things such as Voter registration, number plates, etc. Due to the nature of the business they are involved in, they will ask the people for certain sensitive information which is necessary to validate the information they provide. ADOT Text Scam is the name of the hustle which has been going around lately.
The crooks operating the chain of spam messages try to force users into submitting their confidential information. They ask for their social security number, banking details, and much more which have nothing to do with the renewal process. If anyone inputs their information, then they are exposed to a significant amount of risk which will affect every aspect of their lives.
From financial fraud to other nasty things such as identity theft, the number of things that can go wrong is unimaginable.
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Intentions of the Criminals
As always, the people working behind the scenes have intentions that only benefit them at the expense of innocent victims. The scammers are trying their best to gather all the sensitive information which can be used for a lot of activities.
They can use the details to take out loans, wipe out bank accounts, or do something more sinister that is going to burn a hole in the pocket of the people who fell for the scheme. Regardless of what the criminals do with the data, it will never end in a good manner for the people who lost them. So, always make sure you deal only with verified websites and platforms. To ensure the highest level of security, change your passwords on a regular basis.
How to report ADOT Text Scam?
ADOT Text Scam was pushed so heavily by the people running it and the amount of damage it brought was unprecedented. As a result, the official authorities issued a warning about the activities going on and they also created awareness among the public by teaching them the ways of reporting the messages.
If you have received any messages from unknown senders containing fake narratives about ADOT, then visit their platforms and raise a complaint. Additionally, you can also get in touch with local law enforcement agencies and they will also assist you.
Sadly, there are no known ways to eradicate these types of spam messages, but eventually, as technology improves, it will be stopped. Till then, creating awareness is the best way to beat them.
Safety Measures
After going through a lot of data on the content of the messages, we did find a few common features they all possess which are as follows. Remember, they might eliminate the flaws anytime, but that doesn’t make them reliable or trustworthy in any way.
Sender Details – All scammers give a lot of importance to hide their details. They know that once their real identity is revealed, it is just a matter of time before everything comes crashing down.
So, they use pseudo names or aliases and in some cases, they just maintain a very low profile. If you notice any messages wherein the sender’s details are not as transparent as they should be, then ignore them for your own well-being.
Too Much Information – Scams including ADOT Text messages always ask people for more information than they require. For example, if a platform asks for your banking information or your social security number while you are just trying to renew your license, then you can easily notice that something is fishy about the system.
In most cases, the amount of information they ask is going to be an obvious giveaway. However, some scams will cover this flaw and still manage to convince the users to input all of the details they want to gather. At the end of the day, only experience can guide you, but if you are alert enough, then you can easily see the typical flaws.
Sense of urgency – Phishing messages often try to create a sense of urgency to overwhelm the receiver. The narratives they employ are always going to be vague and their main intention is to force you into submitting the details quickly.
If you ever feel like you are being badgered to give up certain information, then withdraw yourself from the situation and rush to the authorities immediately. After all, no legit organization would treat you in that manner, right?
Recover Money from ADOT Text Scam
Unfortunately, most of the time scammers do manage to inflict thousands of users and they do earn a fortune for themselves. If you have been a victim of this scam, then get in touch with our team quickly. Our experts have more than 3 decades of experience and will gladly offer assistance to you for free.
Just input the details of the incident and answer the questions present on the contact form. As soon as we analyze the facts about your specific case, you will get a call back from us with the exact plan of action you need to follow. So far, our success ratio is above 83% and we are working hard to make it climb near to 100%.
Verdict
ADOT Text Message scam unfortunately wasn’t something that anyone could have stopped in time. They indeed caused a lot of damage, it affected people both emotionally and financially. Though, the past cannot be changed, make sure that you learn from the experience and take action against them.
Given the characteristics they show, it is clear that they are skilled in the things they are involved in. However, that does not mean they will be able to avoid law enforcement agencies for long. Eventually, they will be caught and they have to pay heavily for the frauds they committed. Until then, be safe and keep an eye out on our blog to know more about the latest types of online scams.
Have you personally received the ADOT Text message? If yes, then tell us about your experience in the comment thread.
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