Judicial Branch warns of fake Minnesota court ticket texts

The Minnesota Judicial Branch is warning residents about a new text-message scam in which crooks pose as the Minnesota District Court, claim there is an unpaid traffic violation, and direct people to pay online through a link. The texts use official-looking graphics, citation numbers and fake judge and clerk names, and refer to a supposed "Civil Enforcement Department" to trick recipients into thinking they are real. Officials stress that Minnesota courts and law enforcement do not text or call people to demand immediate payment for traffic fines, and anyone who gets such a message should not click links or provide credit card, Social Security, or other personal information. Instead, people are urged to report the texts to local law enforcement, and if they already paid or shared information, to file a complaint with the FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center. The warning comes as text-based impersonation scams continue to climb, and metro residents are a prime target because nearly all traffic and court business is now trackable online.