Vella Warns Residents of New Scams Targeting Illinoisans

 

ROCKFORD, Ill. – In response to reports of new scams targeting Illinoisans, state Rep. Dave Vella, D-Rockford, is encouraging residents to take steps to protect themselves from scams and fraud.

“It is disgusting to see that there are those who would attempt to take advantage of others even when many are struggling to get by as is,” said Vella. “No one should have to worry about their money or personal information being stolen, and I highly encourage residents to take a few minutes to learn about how they can protect themselves from these schemes.”

Recently, two new scams have surfaced attempting to defraud Illinoisans. The first scam is a text claiming to come from the Illinois Secretary of State (SOS) asking recipients to visit “uipendingcases.org.” The second scam involves a number of websites, such as “IllinoisCarReg.com,” offering online license plate sticker renewals that charge residents an extra fee in addition to the sticker renewal fee. The SOS is encouraging residents to only use their official government website, cyberdriveillinois.com, to renew their stickers online and to not give out information such as Social Security numbers or bank account information to unsolicited texts or calls.

“It is important that residents take precautions to not fall victim to scams, and the best way to do that is to stay up-to-date on what common scams look like as well as using best practices with your information,” said Vella. “I will do my part to fight against these scam artists by raising awareness on new scams as well as cracking down on scammers through legislation.”

Residents with additional questions or concerns about scams or fraud can contact the Illinois Attorney General’s Consumer Fraud Hotline at 800-386-5438.