HARRISBURG – Courts in Philadelphia have issued a warning of a statewide consumer fraud scam. Persons may receive a text from the Traffic Division of Philadelphia Municipal Court. The text message reads,”Notice of Hearing – TOLL VIOLATION.” The text notice instructs recipients to “appear for a hearing” or resolve the matter by “payment of the assessed civil penalty prior to the hearing date.” A QR code for payment is also provided in the text. Persons are to ignore the text and never scan the QR code. Courts will never send a text demanding payment for any toll, parking or other violations. They will never ask for social security numbers and personal banking or credit card information via text. Anyone who received such a text message or believe you are a victim of this scam, contact your local police department or the PA Attorney General’s Bureau of Consumer Protection at 1-800-441-2555. You can also contact the Federal Trade Commission at ftc.gov.
