SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (WCIA) — Illinois Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias is warning residents of a common scam.

Text messages falsely claiming to be from the “Illinois State Department of Motor Vehicles” are being spread. These deceptive messages aim to frighten drivers into believing that their driving privileges and vehicle registrations will be revoked if they don’t pay alleged fines.

Those messages are phishing attempts to let scammers gain unsuspecting recipient’s personal or financial information.

Giannoulias strongly warns against responding to these scam messages or opening any links in the text.

“Phishing scams are, unfortunately, becoming a more common threat in today’s society, with the goal of deceiving Illinois residents into giving away personal information and money,” stated Giannoulias. “Please stay alert to these scams and report them to safeguard yourself and others against fraudulent schemes.”

The only messages his office will send out to residents are reminders for scheduled DMV appointments. There will be no messages regarding registration or driver’s licenses.

Anyone who encounters scam attempts is encouraged to report it to the Federal Trade Commission on their website.