The Alaska Division of Motor Vehicles is alerting the public about fraudulent text messages claiming to originate from the state agency.

The scam texts are in no way connected to the Alaska DMV and should be disregarded or reported as spam, according to a press release published April 2.

The Alaska DMV does not request payments or sensitive personal information via text message. Residents are urged to avoid responding to or sending money in response to these fraudulent messages.

The scam messages tell people it is their final notice of an unpaid “vehicle violation,” and if they don’t click to make payment their vehicle registration could be suspended and they would face additional fines.

“The State of Alaska is aware of this situation and is actively monitoring it to protect residents from these deceptive practices,” the release states. “If you receive a suspicious text, do not respond or engage.”

If a resident receives a suspicious text, they should not click links, send money or provide any personal information.

The state DMV’s call center received about 1,000 calls in two days and more than 220 emails with questions about the scam, Department of Administration official Kate Sheehan said in an email to the Anchorage Daily News on Friday, April 3.

“DMVs nationwide are aware of this scheme and are actively working to protect residents from these deceptive practices,” the division’s press release stated. “If you have received a scam text, you do not need to report it to DMV, it should be reported as spam and then deleted.”

The DMV does not send texts from international or out-of-country area codes, and the division does not collect payments for traffic tickets.