MORRISTOWN, VT — Police are warning residents about two scams circulating in the area.
The first involves text messages that appear to be from the Vermont Department of Motor Vehicles regarding overdue fines.
The texts include a link for recipients to click and submit payment before a penalty goes into effect.
Police say the texts are fraudulent and the links do not lead to any official Vermont DMV website.
Residents are advised not to respond to the texts or click the links and should delete the messages.
The second scam targets people of faith through emails that appear to come from local clergy members.
The emails ask recipients to do a favor for the clergy member.
Once a person replies, they are asked to purchase multiple gift cards and provide the card numbers to the emailer.
A local reverend told police that faith leaders will never make such requests over email.
Clergy members are urging the public to always confirm requests with their faith leader through another form of communication.
Residents should never send credit card information, gift card numbers or congregational directories over email, even if they believe they are replying to a trusted clergy person.
Scams can be reported to the Attorney General via the Scam Hotline at 800-649-2424.
