Fraudulent text messages are posing as the Iowa Department of Motor Vehicles.

The message claims to be from the Iowa DMV and that the recipient has outstanding traffic tickets. The message eventually tells the recipient to click on a misleading link that mimics the web address of the Iowa Department of Transportation.

Louisa County Sheriff Barndon Marquardt warns residents not to respond to the message or provide the scammers with any information. According to the Federal Trade Commission, scams take advantage of pressuring victims to act immediately, so not acting hastily is another way to protect yourself.