Scam texts cause people to show up at court for fake outstanding traffic violations
Dozens of people showed up to courthouses in Connecticut Tuesday after receiving fraudulent text messages claiming outstanding traffic violations that required they attend a court hearing or pay up through a QR code.
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The Connecticut Judicial Branch was flooded with people this week, falsely believing they were due in court or owed a fine for outstanding traffic violations.
The reason? A text message scam that appeared to be pretty convincing.
People across the state, including at News 12, received texts with what appeared to be an official-looking “Final Enforcement Notice.”
The document included the court seal, legal language and a fake case number, claiming unpaid tolls, parking violations and speeding tickets that required immediate and mandatory compliance.
The notice said to attend a court hearing the next morning in Hartford or scan a provided QR code to pay all outstanding fines and fees.
It claimed all prior attempts to resolve the violations had been exhausted and failure to comply could have a range of consequences including license suspension or worse.
According to judicial branch spokesperson Rhonda Hebert, the information booth at Hartford Superior Court had over 30 people come in Tuesday, while the civil court in Hartford saw multiple people show up Monday and Tuesday, and family court received one inquiry.
In Manchester, one person came in Monday and four on Tuesday while Waterbury Superior Court saw nine people due to the scam, per Hebert.
It’s unknown how many people used the QR code and paid up.
Stacey Manware, Esq., the deputy director of the Judicial Branch’s Centralized Services, said this latest scam seemed more widespread and convincing than others. She said prior texts were fairly generic, but the document used this time was more sophisticated.
The judicial branch would never send you a notice demanding payment or threatening arrest, Manware told News 12, adding that the branch doesn’t use QR codes for payment.
Manware called the rise in these scams and the number of people impacted, "disturbing."
She said there are ways to verify if an alleged traffic violation is real. People can go to the website for traffic tickets and infractions and click the red button to check if a ticket number matches their last name. They can also send an email to traffictickets@jud.ct.gov, use the live chat or call 860-263-2750 to verify if a message is fake or not.
The judicial branch has had the following alert on its website since Monday afternoon:
The Judicial Branch recently learned of a targeted phishing and impersonation campaign directed at members of the public in which individuals are falsely claiming to represent the Connecticut Judicial Branch, including the Superior Court. These fraudulent communications have taken the form of text messages, emails, and phone calls, and in some cases appear highly convincing. They may reference alleged citations, warrants, or fines and attempt to solicit immediate payment. These incidents reflect a deliberate and coordinated effort involving domain spoofing, text messaging, and VOIP-based caller impersonation. What You Should Know
The Judicial Branch neither solicits payments via unsolicited phone calls, text messages, or emails nor ever demands immediate payment or threaten arrest over the phone or by text. Official communications follow established procedures and do not request sensitive information in this manner.
What You Should Not Do
Do not engage with suspicious callers, texts, or emails, and do not provide personal or financial information under any circumstances.
Additional Guidance Please remain vigilant. These types of attacks are becoming increasingly sophisticated and may be difficult to distinguish from legitimate communications. When in doubt, err on the side of caution and report the incident to the FTC by using the following link - https://reportfraud.ftc.gov/?orgcode=CTJU.
