Hawaiʻi County Department of Finance, Vehicle Registration and Licensing (VRL) division would like to warn the public of a text message scam circulating around the island claiming to offer “DMV refunds.”

The texts are issued through an out-of-state number and contain a link to click on to receive refunds. Please do not click on this link. The VRL division does not generally issue refunds, and if they did, customers would not be notified via text message. Official correspondence between the Hawaiʻi County VRL and the public are issued via hardcopy letter and sent to the known address in the VRL database. Additionally, the County of Hawaiʻi does not have a Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV), a term more commonly associated with licensing and registration offices on the mainland, nor do they have the means to text message individual cell phones.

If you are a victim of this scam, please report it to the Hawaiʻi Police Department non-emergency line at 808-935-3311.