St. Johns County Tax Collector Dennis W. Hollingsworth, CFC, and the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles (DHSMV) warn consumers that they may be targeted by a company representing itself as the DHSMV demanding payment for fraudulent citations. The company, which is not associated with the DHSMV in any way, will send emails to consumers requesting payment of a citation within a certain timeframe. If the payment is not received on time, the company will falsely require a daily late fee payment.
The email sent to consumers includes a linked payment page and email address. While the linked payment page appears to be inactive at this time, the DHSMV is warning consumers that this is a scam and no payment should be made. If a consumer has made a payment, they should refute the charge and take the appropriate security measures with their financial institution.
Consumers should note the following:
• The Tax Collector, DHSMV or Clerk of Court do not email citations to customers
• The Tax Collector, DHSMV or Clerk of Court do not seek citation payment via email
• Citation numbers are always seven alpha-numeric digits
• If a consumer receives a notice regarding a suspicious citation, they should contact the Clerk of Court or DHSMV immediately
Neither the office of St. Johns County Tax Collector Dennis W. Hollingsworth, CFC, nor the office of the St. Johns County Clerk of the Circuit Court and Comptroller Hunter S. Conrad, Esq., has received complaints from local residents regarding this scam. However, both Hollingsworth and Conrad ask consumers to remain vigilant and report immediately any email suspected of promoting this scam.
