(WTVM) – Multiple law enforcement agencies in Alabama are warning residents to be on high alert following a wave of fake text messages designed to look like official court summonses and traffic citations.
The scam, which has been reported by drivers across the state, involves a detailed image of a “Final Notice” for unpaid tolls, along with parking and speeding violations.
The notice includes a counterfeit Alabama State Seal in an attempt to appear authentic, but law enforcement officials note the document contains several other “red flags,” including mismatched jurisdictions:
- The document claims to be from the “Municipal Court of St. Louis County.” There is no St. Louis County in Alabama; the address listed is in Missouri.
- The statutory authorities and state codes cited on the document do not exist in the Alabama legal code.
- The text references the “Alabama DMV.” There is no agency with that name; driver licensing is handled by the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency and vehicle registrations by the Alabama Department of Revenue.
- The notice threatens immediate “default judgment,” license suspension and damage to credit scores to create a false sense of urgency and panic.
“These notices are NOT legitimate,” the Albertville Police Department warned in a social media post. “They are designed to scare you into paying money or giving away personal information.”…