NO
Neither the Missouri Department of Revenue nor the Missouri Courts send out requests for payment, passwords or sensitive information via unsolicited texts.
Missouri residents have seen an increase in scam text messages claiming to be from the Missouri Department of Revenue or the Missouri Courts system. These text messages claim to be final notices of court enforcement actions for outstanding traffic violations, such as failure to pay tolls and parking and speeding violations.
These text messages include a website link or QR code that directs the receiver to make a payment for these violations.
The court and court officials named in the scam texts do not exist, the case numbers and citation numbers are not real, and the link provided does not go to an official government website, according to a Missouri Courts news release.
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Sources
Missouri Department of Revenue webpage: Current Scams and Alerts
Missouri Department of Transportation Facebook post: The scammers are at it again
Missouri Courts webpage: Scam Alert: Missouri courts issue warning about fake traffic ticket texts
