If you have received a recent traffic citation, you may decide to take an
online defensive driving course in order to clear your Texas driving record. Or you may just want to pay the fine and risk having your auto insurance rates increase as a result. However, what you simply cannot do is give out your personal or payment information to scammers who are pretending to represent the Texas Department of Public Safety.
Well, how do you know who is really on the other end of the line? The director of the Texas Department of Public Safety, Steven C. McCraw, recommends that you “write down any contact information from the Caller ID, if available, and then contact your local law enforcement agency.” DPS also reports that personal information should never be given out over the phone when someone else initiates the call to you.
A recent incident happened in Cleveland and residents got calls from scammers who stated that they were representing DPS and they needed payment on a stop-light camera citation. Additionally, the scammers went on to say an arrest warrant would be issued if the person receiving the call did not give the scammer his credit card or social security number and other personal information. According to officials at DPS, the agency doesn’t collect traffic fines or oversee stop-light cameras. Furthermore, the agency went on to say that it does not call homes or businesses to seek charitable donations.
So if you received a
traffic ticket, beware of those scammers trying to get your personal and payment information! Although if you have received a traffic citation recently, you may be eligible to take an online defensive driving course so that your auto insurance rates won’t increase. More importantly, an online defensive driving course could help to clear your Texas driving record by removing your most recent traffic citation.
If you believe that you have been contacted by a group that is misrepresenting itself as part of the Texas Department of Public Safety, you should contact the Consumer Protection Division of the Texas Attorney General’s office at 1-800-621-0508. Scammers beware!