Fake toll and traffic ticket texts are hitting phones across St. Louis County, and police are telling residents to hit delete, not "pay now." The county warned Friday that scammers are blasting out bogus court notices and urgent text messages demanding payment for supposed tolls or traffic violations. The messages come with a QR code and a made-up hearing schedule designed to pressure people into paying fast.
County officials are urging residents not to scan any QR codes tied to surprise fines, not to send money, and to verify any traffic citation directly with the courts. Anyone who already paid or shared financial information is being urged to contact local police and their bank immediately.
How the fake court notice was pitched
The Central County Precinct posted a copy of the phony notice on Facebook, showing how convincing it looks at first glance. The document claims there is a hearing scheduled at the St. Louis County Circuit Court and includes a QR code for payment that has been blocked out in the shared image. According to the St. Louis County Police Central County Precinct, the notice appears to have been issued last Monday and lists a hearing for this Monday at 9 a.m., tied to case number MO-26-TR-574458. The precinct is asking residents to spread the word and to reach out to police if they discover they were scammed.
Why the notice raised red flags
The attached document leans on legal citations to look official, listing RSMo §§ 238.363 and 238.367. Only §238.367 is actually a toll-collection statute. According to the Missouri Revisor of Statutes, that law spells out how tolls can be collected and how traffic citations tied to them are supposed to be handled.
The notice also runs headfirst into a basic reality of driving in Missouri. The Missouri Department of Transportation has warned people not to pay toll fees by text and has pointed out that the state does not operate toll roads at all, as reported by Spectrum News.
How the scam works
Across the country, scammers have been rolling out nearly identical text campaigns that all hit the same notes. Victims get a message about a supposedly small "outstanding toll" and a warning that late fees are about to pile on if they do not pay immediately. The text then points them to a fake payment page or a QR code link that quietly routes money and personal data to the fraudsters.
Security researchers and news outlets describe this tactic as a form of SMS phishing known as "smishing." The hooks are often copy-and-paste jobs, reusing the same wording and look-alike web addresses to pass a quick inspection. The broader operation appears to jump rapidly from state to state, swapping in local names and details to make the messages feel legitimate, according to BleepingComputer.
What to do if you were targeted
If one of these texts lands on your phone, the safest move is to delete it. Do not scan the QR code, do not click any links, and do not send money or share bank or card information.
Anyone who already paid or shared financial details should contact their bank or card issuer right away and file a complaint with the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center. The IC3 explains how to report smishing attempts in the IC3 PSA.
The Central County Precinct also urges anyone who sent money because of the fake notice to contact local law enforcement so officers can document the fraud and pursue any leads, according to the St. Louis County Police Central County Precinct.
