Drivers warned about 'phishing' scam text messages purporting to be from the DVLA

Message reads: ‘FINAL REQUEST: DVLA Swansea have been trying to contact you, Click below for more information.’

The link contains the ‘dvla.gov.uk’ domain in the web address but also has a ‘.pw’ extension (PA)

Drivers have been warned about text messages purporting to be from the DVLA but are a scam.

The text message reads: “FINAL REQUEST: DVLA Swansea have been trying to contact you, Click below for more information.”

The link contains the “dvla.gov.uk” domain in the web address but also has a “.pw” extension, which means it is registered to the island of Palau in Micronesia.

The text is the latest incarnation of a phishing scam that has circulated before. Phishing scams attempt to persuade customers to enter their personal details by appearing to be from a trustworthy source.

​The scam appears to be an attempt to take advantage of potential confusion around changes to car tax rates introduced on 1 April last year.

A screenshot of the page that appears when the link in the text message is followed has been posted on social media.

The website reads: “We would like to notify you that you still have an outstanding vehicle tax refund of £48.84 from an overpayment, despite our previous letters regarding your tax refund we are yet to receive your claim.

“Requests for refunds are time limited please use the link below to complete your refund request.”

The DVLA confirmed it does not send links via text message asking for personal details or payments.

“We are aware of a text/email scam, which wrongly claims to have been sent by DVLA, asking drivers to verify their driving license and vehicle tax details via an online link and are currently investigating,” a spokesperson said.

“Please delete it without clicking on any links.

“We strongly advise anyone who receives such a request not to open the link and delete the item.”