No, no they have not. Among other things, no such “civil enforcement department” exists within the state court system.
If you’re a victim of the latest text scam claiming you need to pay an overdue traffic fine, don’t click on any links or give out personal information, least of all your credit card or Social Security numbers. A written precaution issued by the Minnesota Judicial Branch on Friday is warning residents that the text messages are an elaborate phishing attempt.
“This one looks pretty darn real,” said Kim Pleticha, director of Public Affairs for the Minnesota Judicial Branch. “People here within the highest levels of the branch have received it. We’re getting them ourselves. They look very legitimate.”
The fraudulent texts include stylized graphics, a judge’s name, a clerk’s name, citation and case numbers, and they list a website people are instructed to click on “to resolve this matter.”
“DO NOT FALL FOR THIS SCAM!” reads the alert from the judicial branch. “Neither the Minnesota Judicial Branch nor law enforcement will ever text or call you to demand money for a traffic fine.”
If you’re getting phone calls, report the call to your local law enforcement agency, and if you’ve fallen victim to the scam, file a report with the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center. To double check traffic fines and pay them off online, visit mncourts.gov/pay-a-fine.
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