Montana DOJ Warns Lewis and Clark Residents of MVD Payment Text Scams

The Montana Department of Justice’s Office of Consumer Protection issued a statewide alert on Feb. 23 after receiving reports that scammers were sending fraudulent text messages that appeared to come from the Motor Vehicle Division and demanded payment for unpaid tickets or registration fees. The warning specifically identified the texts as impersonations of the MVD and cautioned residents across Montana, including Lewis and Clark County.

Local consumers in Helena and surrounding Lewis and Clark County communities were named in the DOJ notice as potential targets of the scheme because the texts mimicked official MVD communications and asked recipients to make immediate payments. The Office of Consumer Protection described the messages as requesting payment for supposed unpaid traffic citations or vehicle registration fees, a tactic that links the scam directly to routine vehicle and citation processes handled by the state Motor Vehicle Division.

State officials issued the alert through the Montana DOJ’s Office of Consumer Protection on Feb. 23 to notify consumers statewide about the payment demand texts. The warning underscores that the fraudulent messages were presented as coming from the Motor Vehicle Division, the state agency responsible for vehicle registration and citation administration, increasing the risk that recipients would treat the texts as authentic and remit funds.

The DOJ notice did not provide a list of phone numbers used by the scammers in the texts, but it confirmed the primary content of the messages: demands for payment for alleged unpaid tickets or registration fees. Because the messages explicitly referenced enforcement and registration matters familiar to drivers in Lewis and Clark County, the alert highlighted the ease with which fraudsters can exploit routine interactions with government services.

The Feb. 23 statewide warning from the Montana Department of Justice’s Office of Consumer Protection serves as the current official notice to Lewis and Clark County residents that these MVD-impersonation text scams were active and asking for payment. Residents with questions about messages appearing to come from the Motor Vehicle Division should treat the Feb. 23 alert as the formal advisory on the incident and monitor further guidance from the DOJ and MVD.