Did you get a text about adding vaccine status to your Florida driver’s license? Beware

Michelle Marchante
·2 min read

There’s another COVID-19 scam people need to be wary of in Florida: websites attempting to steal personal information under the guise of remaking driver’s licenses to include a person’s vaccination status.

Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody and the Florida Department of Law Enforcement have shut down three of the fraudulent websites, but warn that the scammers could create more.

“I am grateful for the quick action of my attorneys and FDLE to identify and shut down these fraudulent websites, but our work here is far from over,” Moody said. “Please remain vigilant, and if you encounter one of these fake driver license update websites, report it immediately. By quickly reporting these scams, we can ensure the websites are shut down to help better protect Floridians’ personal information.”

The announcement comes a week after Moody’s office released a consumer alert that warned drivers about the new text phishing scam.

The text had a link leading to a fake Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles website. Users would be asked for Social Security and driver’s license information and get a prompt to upload a photo of a driver’s license.

Florida is warning people about a new phishing scam that sends people to a spoofed Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles website asking for personal information to remake driver licenses to include COVID-19 vaccination status.
Florida is warning people about a new phishing scam that sends people to a spoofed Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles website asking for personal information to remake driver licenses to include COVID-19 vaccination status.

Florida’s Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles is not requiring, nor offering, driver’s license updates to include proof of vaccination. The department says it also doesn’t send texts regarding the status of a person’s driver’s license nor does it ask for personal or medical information via text.

“If you receive a text asking for this information, it is a scam,” said Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles Executive Director Terry L. Rhodes. “With only the information on your driver license, scammers can create many fraudulent financial accounts. Please do not respond to these texts and do not click on the links contained in the text message.”

If you come across any suspicious COVID vaccine-related advertisement, report it to the Florida Attorney General’s Office by calling 866-9NO-SCAM, or visiting MyFloridaLegal.com.