By THE ALASKA STORY
April 2, 2026 – Anchorage police are warning residents about a surge in text-message scams impersonating the Alaska Division of Motor Vehicles, a scheme that is designed to scare recipients into handing over money or personal information.
The Anchorage Police Department issued the alert after noticing an increase in “smishing” — SMS-based phishing — messages claiming to be from the DMV and threatening immediate consequences. The texts typically warn recipients that they have unpaid fines and must click a link to avoid suspension of their driver’s license. Some versions label the message as a “final notice” to increase urgency.
And it’s not just Anchorage residents. People all over the state are reporting receiving such text messages.
Police say the links lead to fake websites designed to capture personal data, credit card numbers, or login credentials. In other cases, recipients are prompted to reply “Y,” paste links into their browser, or otherwise engage with the message — all tactics used to verify active phone numbers and expand the scam.
While versions of this scam have circulated for months nationwide, Anchorage police say the volume of reports has recently increased, prompting the public warning. The messages often appear convincing, using official-sounding language and sometimes spoofed sender names referencing the DMV or a state agency.
One version of the scam is pictured below:
APD emphasized that state agencies do not demand payment through unsolicited text messages. The Alaska DMV does not send texts requesting money, personal information, or immediate action through unknown links.
Police advise anyone receiving such a message to ignore it entirely: Do not click links, reply, or provide information. Instead, verify any concern by contacting the DMV directly using an official website or phone number.
Officials also encourage reporting the scam to help track patterns and warn others. The Federal Trade Commission provides guidance on recognizing and reporting spam text messages, including forwarding suspicious texts to 7726 (SPAM) and filing complaints through the FTC website.
The simplest defense is also the most effective: If a text demands immediate payment and threatens penalties, it’s almost certainly a scam.
7 thoughts on “Anchorage police warn of scam impersonating DMV”
If only Alaska parents read and read regularly the children’s classic literature to their children under five , then Alaska would see less adults duped by scammers even stupider than us.
Scams are convincing to the illiterate but to the adult who has developed critical thinking skills since their childhood. The Phoniness is of convincing scams is as plain as day.
So Alaska parents of GenAlpha they are never too old to learn how to read and get them reading books that their great grandparents read. The number of Alaskans being taken advantage of for being illiterate all can be dramatically reduced by reading more and reading the classic literature to the children in our homes.
If you have literacy skills your brain thinks first before you listen to your heart.
This is one real scam message to show a Real one that is written to deceive the illiterate. These thieves are looking for an Americans or here Alaskans who can’t read well because to the literate their scam is as bright as the sun
“Driver’s License Suspension Pending
[Alaska Court] Enforcement: Pursuant to Alaska Statute (AS) 28.15.181(g), if you fail to pay the outstanding fine for ticket AKTP240845312001 (violation date: February 15, 2026) that has been long overdue by Thursday, April 2, 2026, additional court and collection costs of $70 will be immediately incurred. This may result in a Division of Motor Vehicles (DMV) hold being placed on your driver’s license and vehicle registration. The case will be referred to a collection agency and reported to a credit bureau.
FAILURE TO RESOLVE THIS MATTER BY 11:59 PM TONIGHT WILL RESULT IN AUTOMATIC ENFORCEMENT MEASURES BEGINNING TOMORROW. We will not issue any further warnings.
Please visit the Alaska Court System or Division of Motor Vehicles (DMV) Online Services website before April 2, 2026 to settle your outstanding fine and avoid enforcement:
https://alaska.arwoy.life/dmv
(Reply A to reopen and click the link, or copy and paste.)”
DON’T COPY, PASTE, CLICK THE LINK
They are persistent because here is the Second one from today in my spam collection from another international phone number I believe
“[Аlaska Department of Мotor Vehіcles Enforcement Warnіng]
Сase Number: ΑK-DMV-0402-2026
Syѕtem Remіnder: Your drіving reсord has outstanding іssues. Aсcording to Ѕection 42-1-8 of thе Alаska Traffic Code, please complete the payment process by April 3, 2026. Fаіlure to dо so wіll result in the fоllowing legal actiоns:
• 30-day ѕuspensіon of drivіng privileges
• Freeze of vеhiсle registration
• 35% statutory late payment fee
• Incrеased insurancе premium
• Permаnent retention of violation record
Оffіcial Proсessing Channel:
https://alaska.gov-beht.makeup/dmv?sfZ=epZBG?cqT=v9ANX
Рlеase handle this promрtly to аvoid affecting yоur driving rights. Τhis nоtice iѕ a final reminder; failure to do so wіll аutomatically іnitiate legal рroceedings.”
Read to your children if you have a child. Take them out of the local public school district for a school who will help your teach your child to read so Alaskan GenAlpha and GenBeta generations aren’t as easily fooled by scammers when they are adults as Boomers, GenX, and Millennials, and GenZ are.
The best way to teach your child to read is reading aloud the classics (the books your boomer parents and their parents grew up reading or the book their generations’s leaders would have their kids read children’s literature published before 1985. They were longer in length, characters were fully developed and diverse, vocabulary words used, better written, thoughts clearly written, pictures in themselves were literature each picture telling a story in the art. Just reading better quality literature to your child it naturally develops their critical thinking skills and also gives them geography and culture awareness.
I Don’t doubt the scammers targeted Alaska because of previous good luck they scammed Alaskans but also their leader likely knows Alaska fails all its academic proficiency scores that telling to abusers, thieves Alaskans got to be really stupid because of illiteracy that Alaskans must not know how to read and they’d believe anything
ATTENTION!! The DMB rechord dat uhh baizz we be havin mean dat you buttuh pay you bill right away before you eat your Wonton and spiceee spring roles!
Dis is you finally a warning! Hear is duh numbuhh you kall right away!
1-800-386-2277 (if you no good at numbers, Won-ate hon tred-dum-bass)