If your phone has been lighting up with texts claiming you owe a traffic ticket or toll, Miami-Dade County Tax Collector Dariel Fernandez wants you to hit pause, not "pay now." His office says there has been a sharp uptick in scam messages that insist drivers have unpaid violations and must pay immediately, often using fake agency names and scare tactics to push people into clicking shady links or sharing financial details.
According to CBS News Miami, some residents have received texts demanding small, urgent payments to dodge supposed penalties, only to be routed to slick but fraudulent payment pages. The station reports that Fernandez is urging drivers to ignore unsolicited ticket texts altogether and to confirm any possible fines directly with official government offices before doing anything.
Official guidance from the tax collector
The county has issued a fraud alert spelling out what to watch for and how to respond. The advisory makes it clear that "the Miami-Dade County Tax Collector’s Office, toll authorities, or the 'DMV' will NEVER send text messages demanding immediate payment," according to the Miami-Dade County Office of the Tax Collector. Residents are warned not to click any links in these messages, not to reply, and not to share personal or financial details, and they are urged to report suspicious texts to state authorities.
How the scam typically works
In many of these schemes, criminals pose as the DMV or toll agencies and claim a driver is on the verge of license suspension or legal trouble unless they pay up fast. The text usually includes a link to a bogus payment portal designed to capture credit or debit card information. Legitimate agencies typically notify people about tickets through the mail or secure online accounts, not through random texts with payment links, so an unexpected message like that is a major red flag. The Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles offers resources on fraud prevention to help drivers spot these kinds of cons.
What to do if you get one
If a sketchy ticket or toll notice shows up on your phone, officials say do not tap any links, do not respond, and simply delete the message. You can also forward it to 7726 (SPAM) so your wireless carrier can investigate. The tax collector’s office advises residents to contact the appropriate toll agency or the Miami-Dade County Tax Collector at (305) 375-5448 to verify any alleged balance, while the Office of the Florida Attorney General urges people to report suspected scams. Victims can also file a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission at reportfraud.ftc.gov.
Why this matters locally
Miami-Dade officials have been sounding the alarm about DMV-style phishing campaigns for years, and the latest spike shows scammers are still tweaking their scripts to hook new victims. County leaders have previously urged residents to stay vigilant after earlier waves of fake ticket and toll texts, as noted in Hoodline's coverage of fake DMV ticket texts. The bottom line: if a message pressures you to pay fast, treat it with suspicion and confirm any real violations directly through official county or state websites.
