If you get an email with the subject line “Uniform traffic ticket” and claiming that you got a speeding ticket in Town Court, Chatam Hall, it is a fake.
Even worse, if you open the attachment (as instructed), you will unleash a malicious Trojan Horse virus.
New York State DMV does not issue traffic tickets via email. The only time that you would receive a ticket-related email is if you have affirmatively given your email address to DMV regarding a NYC, western Suffolk, Buffalo or Rochester traffic ticket. Even, then, you will not be instructed to open an attached ticket.
Similarly, today I received an email from a client. She wrote:
I got a phone call out of the blue from a collections agency called BCS saying that my husband has an outstanding traffic violation from 2007. I have two tickets from my husband that we paid and none of them come from the date of 10/2007. They would not fax me the violation saying they “can’t” but I can fax them my proof of payment.
This too is a fake. After running my client’s husband’s record, I confirmed that he is NOT suspended.
Bottom line: Be careful of scam artists and hackers using the specter of a traffic ticket to do harm.
