An official-looking court notice is circulating in Wabasha, and police say it belongs in the trash, not in your wallet.
On Tuesday, Wabasha police warned that a so-called “Notice of Hearing - Parking Violation” is a scam flyer disguised to look like it is straight from the Hennepin County District Court. The bogus notice pressures recipients with an upcoming hearing date and flashes a QR code that tells people to pay up or show up.
In a Facebook post, the Wabasha Police Department called the document fraudulent and told residents to ignore its instructions. The department wrote that “the notice posted below is a scam” and warned, in all caps, “do not scan the QR code on the notice.”
What the Fake Notice Claims
According to the image shared by the department, the fake notice lists a case number of “MN-26-TR-273196,” names “John Smith” as the presiding judge and sets a hearing for March 19 at 9 a.m. It cites Minn. Stat. § § 169.34 and 160.93 and instructs recipients to scan a QR code to settle an unpaid balance.
Minn. Stat. §169.34 covers stopping and parking prohibitions, while §160.93 deals with user fees for high-occupancy or dynamic shoulder lanes. Those citations are real; the notice using them is not. The text and layout are designed to look official, which is exactly why police are trying to get out ahead of it.
Similar Scams Are Popping Up Nationwide
The FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center has warned about impersonation schemes that copy the look and language of government paperwork. Around the country, state courts and attorneys general have been flagging suspicious parking and toll notices that rely on QR codes and urgent payment language to spook people into handing over cash or card numbers.
The Maryland Judiciary is among those sounding the alarm, urging the public not to click links or scan QR codes on surprise legal notices and to confirm any supposed case directly through official court channels instead.
How to Check It Out and What To Do Next
Bottom line: if you receive a court-style notice you were not expecting, do not scan the QR code or tap any links.
To verify whether a case is real, search for it on Minnesota Court Records Online (MCRO) or contact the Hennepin County Violations Bureau using phone numbers listed on official court or county websites. The Minnesota Judicial Branch's pay-a-fine pages spell out legitimate payment methods, which do not include random QR codes on mystery flyers.
If you already clicked a suspicious link or entered payment information, contact your bank immediately. You can also file a complaint with the FBI's IC3 and your state attorney general's consumer protection office.
Wabasha police said they shared the image so residents can compare it with any paperwork they receive and spot the fake fast. Anyone with questions is encouraged to call the department's non-emergency line. Contact details and hours are listed on the City of Wabasha police page.
