NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) — Tennesseans lost more than $12 million to scammers pretending to be government officials this year. It was the most-commonly reported scam in the state in 2025, with more than 5,300 reports, according to the Federal Trade Commission.
Government imposter scams involve criminals pretending to be government agencies, including the Social Security Administration, the Internal Revenue Service, or local law enforcement, to trick people into giving them money or personal information.
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In June, the Tennessee Highway Patrol issued a warning about a government imposter scam involving texts claiming to be from the “Tennessee DMV.” The text said the recipient had an outstanding traffic ticket, and if they didn’t pay it, they would be reported to the DMV violation database, have their license suspended and face a lawsuit.
“Scammers are getting very creative,” Lt. Bill Miller with the THP said. “They understand that the more that they can counterfeit their websites and their links to look like the official sites, the more that they’re going to trick individuals and separate them from their money.”…