Detroit parking ticket scam targets victims with bogus text messages
Judge warns of Detroit parking ticket scam
Scammers are going after drivers who have parked in Detroit. Text messages demanding payment for unpaid parking tickets are not real, the 36th District Court chief judge warns.
DETROIT (FOX 2) - Receive a text saying you have an unpaid parking ticket from Detroit? You likely don't, and you need to delete that text.
"We have people preying on our citizens in Detroit right now," said 36th District Court Chief Judge William McConico.
The backstory:
Scammers are sending text messages that appear to be from the city. These messages show an unpaid parking balance and direct recipients to a link to pay that balance, but the link is a phishing site designed to steal information.
What they're saying:
"We don't handle parking tickets here. That's at the parking bureau. The 36th District Court doesn't even do that," McConico said.
The judge noted that if the court were to send any sort of official notice to a person, it would be through the mail, not a text.
What you can do:
If you receive a text claiming you have an unpaid parking ticket, do not click the link and delete it.
Those who have questions about communications that appear to be from a court can also contact the court to verify them.
The Source: FOX 2 spoke with 36th District Court Chief Judge William McConico for this story.