It may look official, but that text from the New Jersey DMV is a scam.

Authorities are warning residents not to click links in unsolicited messages claiming to be from the Motor Vehicle Commission or other state agencies.

The fake text will often threaten license suspension, unpaid tolls or legal action, urging you to pay up fast.

But here's the red flag.

New Jersey hasn't had a DMV in more than two decades, and the Motor Vehicle Commission says it's never sent payment demands via text.

The latest warnings come from the Middlesex County Prosecutor's Office, which says it's all part of a growing SMS phishing scam that cost consumers $470 million last year alone, according to federal data.

New Jersey ranks among the top five states for internet scam losses, and they're getting really sophisticated, using URLs that have NJMVC or EasyPass NJ in them, but they're usually from overseas and have suspicious domain names like .ICU instead of .gov.

If you get one of those texts, authorities say don't click, don't reply, and don't pay.

Block the number and report it as spam.

[MUSIC PLAYING]