San Francisco, CA – Today, San Francisco District Attorney Brooke Jenkins and Santa Cruz County District Attorney Jeff Rosell issued a joint consumer alert warning people to beware of a nationwide scam involving fake notices of traffic violations. The notices, which may be received via text message or email, look as if they come from the court and may be entitled “NOTICE OF HEARING – TOLL VIOLATION” or “NOTICE OF HEARING – TRAFFIC VIOLATION” or something similar. They purport to “notify” the recipient about a pending court hearing and instruct them to avoid the hearing by paying court costs in advance. The notices may include a QR code or hyperlink which directs the user to a payment portal. An example of one such notice is depicted below.

These notices are scams. Courts do not send traffic notices via text or email. If you receive one, do not access the QR code, click on any hyperlinks, or attempt to make any payment. If in doubt, check with the court which purportedly sent the notice to confirm that no case exists or payment is required.

“It is unfortunate that scammers choose to prey upon the fears of law-abiding people,” said San Francisco District Attorney Brooke Jenkins. “If you receive a notice like this one, disregard it and report it to law enforcement.  We must remain vigilant and do everything we can to protect each other from scams and frauds like this.  Fraud prevention and awareness are key tools we can use to keep the public safe.” 

“It is imperative that recipients not click on any links in the message, change passwords if they do, and promptly contact law enforcement,” said Santa Cruz District Attorney Jeff Rosell.

To report this scam please contact the District Attorney’s Office consumer protection unit at 628.652.4311 or send a copy of the email or text to sfda.consumerfraud@sfgov.org. 

BELOW IS A SAMPLE NOTICE THAT SCAMMERS HAVE SENT TO THE PUBLIC