The Rhode Island Division of Motor Vehicles (DMV) issued a warning to Rhode Islanders of a bogus website asking motorists to register their vehicles using a credit card. The site is in no way associated with the Rhode Island DMV. To date, it appears no Rhode Island motorists have accessed the fraudulent services via the website.
Rhode Island is one of a number of states that have been targeted, including Vermont and New York. If motorists using search engines type in “Rhode Island registration renewals,” or a similar search phrase, the bogus website may be a link that appears. The Rhode Island DMV is warning computer users not to visit these websites, and only visit the official Rhode Island Division of Motor Vehicles website to do their on-line transactions.
Rhode Island DMV is working with the state’s web portal manager, RI.gov, to monitor web activity, and has contacted web search engines, such as Google, to have the fraudulent sites removed. The Rhode Island State Police and the Office of Attorney General have been notified of the fraudulent website. If a motorist believes they used the fraudulent website, they should contact the RI State Police Detective Bureau, at 444-1000. Rhode Islanders looking to legitimately conduct transactions with the Rhode Island DMV through the Internet should visit www.dmv.ri.gov.