METRO DETROIT (WXYZ) — The toll scam is back again, but it's more than just a word text this time. A bunch of us in the newsroom have received it; I even got one late this afternoon.
Watch Alicia's report below
You may remember in March of last year, I reported about the unpaid toll texts that were blowing up phones all across Michigan. More than 4300 people commented on our WXYZ Facebook post last year.
Watch our previous reporting
This latest version of the scam is a text of an official-looking document. At the top is a black-and-white state seal, and the words 'State of Michigan in the District Court of Wayne County Traffic Division'. Nowhere does it list 36th District Court; that's the first red flag.
The document claims to be a 'Final Enforcement Notice' for three violations: failure to pay an electronic toll or toll evasion, a parking violation and a speeding violation. This is the next red flag, as there are no toll roads on Michigan's highway system. Also, the document doesn't tell you where any of the violations occurred.
Neither my name nor the description of my car was anywhere to be found. This so-called 'mandatory compliance order' says you must remit full payment in total or appear before the court. The court hearing date at the bottom was for May 4 at 9 a.m., less than 15 hours from when I received the text. I was given the option to scan a QR code at the bottom right to pay the fine prior to the hearing date.
I did not do that, but I did scan the code to check it out. It asked if I was a real person, then it took me to a fake MDOT page, instructing me to fill out my personal information and pay the fine. But a few laters when I checked the code, it took me to what looked like Connecticut's official state website, asking me to pay an unsettled toll charge there. Don't do it.
MDOT and the 36th District Court know they are being used in this imposter scam. A scam alert is listed at the top of both their home pages.
If you receive a text message that says you have traffic fines, an unpaid toll, speed, or parking tickets, here's what you need to know:
- These message are not from 36th District Court or MDOT
- Do not click any links or scan the QR code for payment
- You will never be contacted via text demanding payment from a government agency
If you receive a text message like this, please report it to your local law enforcement agency, the Federal Trade Commission, and the Better Business Bureau's Scam Tracker.
