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Motorists are being warned about a new wave of scammers that are taking advantage of problems at the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency to rip people off. 

The Government-backed website has struggled to handle a backlog of paperwork this year – with unanswered phone calls and failures at responding on its online chat service when users try to renew a driving licence or pay their car tax. 

Exploiting the potential chaos, fraudsters have been bombarding people with fake text messages claiming they are from the DVLA – and warning motorists that their payment details need to be updated or that their road tax requires renewal. 

Scam: Fraudsters have been bombarding people with fake text messages claiming they are from the DVLA

These messages provide a link for recipients to give their bank account details, enabling thieves to go on and steal from them. 

The scams are often headed with capitalised letters: for example, 'ACTION REQUIRED' or 'FINAL REQUEST'. Another favourite criminal ruse is sending out emails explaining how 'your latest vehicle tax payment failed' or 'you are not up to date with your vehicle tax'. 

Accompanying these fraudulent messages are often financial threats, such as a £1,000 fine if payment is not made. Copycat websites should also be avoided. These pose as being official but are nothing to do with the genuine gov.uk website. 

A DVLA spokesman says: 'Gov.uk is the only website where customers can find our official services – many of which are free. You may be charged a premium when using other websites. You should also be wary of texts and emails being sent from potential fraudsters.'