Tennessee Office of Homeland Security Warns Public About Scam Messages Impersonating SafeTN App

The Tennessee Department of Safety and Homeland Security is warning Tennesseans about a scam involving fake text messages that appear to come from the SafeTN app.

The scam messages claim the recipient owes overdue toll fees and threaten that their driver’s license or driving privileges will be suspended if payment is not made. Some messages include a link directing users to a fake website designed to look like the official Tennessee Department of Safety and Homeland Security site.

The Department notes that this “toll scam” has been making its rounds across the country in various forms, often pretending to be from trusted sources. Now, scammers are falsely using the SafeTN name to try to trick
Tennesseans.

Important Reminders for the Public:

• SafeTN will never send messages about overdue toll fees, payments, or license suspensions.
• Do not click on any links or respond to unexpected texts. Scammers want you to react quickly — it’s important to stop and verify first.
• Verify before trusting: Always use a known phone number or website — not the contact information in the suspicious message.
• Check the sender: Official Tennessee State Government emails end in “@tn.gov.” Messages from Gmail, Hotmail, iCloud, or similar addresses are not official.
• Report and delete: Use your phone’s “report junk” option to report the message, then delete it.

“SafeTN is a trusted tool for reporting suspicious activity — not for collecting payments or issuing threats,” said Gregory Mays, Deputy Commissioner overseeing the Tennessee Office of Homeland Security. “If you get a message like this, don’t trust it. Stop, verify, and report it.”

For more information about common scams and how to protect yourself, visit the Tennessee Office of the Attorney General’s Division of Consumer Affairs at www.tn.gov/consumer.