Missouri courts are warning the public about a scam involving fake text messages that claim recipients have unpaid traffic tickets.
The Missouri Judiciary said in a press release that the messages are designed to trick people into clicking on links that could expose their phones or computers to viruses or other malware.
Court officials said Missouri courts do not contact people by text message regarding traffic citations. According to the judiciary, the court names, officials, citation numbers, and case numbers listed in the messages are all fake, and the links do not lead to legitimate government websites.
Missourians who want to check whether they have a real traffic case are encouraged to use the official Case.net system through the Missouri Courts website.
Some eligible tickets can also be resolved online through the state’s Plead and Pay system.
If a ticket does not yet appear in Case.net, officials say it may not have been filed by the local prosecutor, and individuals should contact that office directly for clarification.
Missouri’s court system urges anyone who receives one of the fraudulent texts not to click on the link and to report the message to local law enforcement.
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