Federal and state authorities have issued multiple warnings about a surge in phone and text message scams impersonating government agencies. The FBI is investigating a viral scam involving fake Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) texts falsely claiming recipients have unpaid tickets. Ohio's Bureau of Motor Vehicles and the Arizona Department of Transportation have alerted residents to phishing texts that attempt to steal personal and financial information by prompting users to click malicious links. Similarly, the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has cautioned the public against calls from individuals falsely claiming to be CBP or Border Patrol agents demanding payments, emphasizing that CBP does not solicit money over the phone. The Prince George’s County Sheriff’s Office reported scammers using real officials' names to coerce cash payments. In Michigan, scam texts purporting to be from a non-existent “Michigan DMV” have been identified, urging recipients to avoid interacting with such messages. Police departments, including Boston Police, have also issued community alerts about these smishing scams. Additionally, similar fraudulent activities involving false emails demanding customs fees have been reported in other countries such as Spain and Brazil. Authorities advise the public to ignore, report, and delete suspicious messages to protect personal information and finances.