Fri May 30 15:40:00 UTC 2025: **Here’s a summary of the text:**
Pennsylvania court officials are warning the public about a scam involving text messages that appear to be from the Pennsylvania Courts or Unified Judicial System. These texts falsely claim there is an outstanding traffic ticket that must be paid through a provided link. The messages threaten license suspension, legal action, and credit score damage if the ticket is not paid. The Administrative Office of Pennsylvania Courts emphasizes that they never solicit payments via text or phone and advises recipients to ignore such messages, contact law enforcement, and report the scam to the PA Attorney General’s office.
**Here’s the text rewritten as a news article:**
**Pennsylvania Courts Warn Public of Phishing Text Scam Targeting Traffic Tickets**
**HARRISBURG, PA** – The Administrative Office of Pennsylvania Courts (AOPC) is alerting residents across the state to a sophisticated text message scam that impersonates the Pennsylvania court system. These fraudulent messages attempt to trick recipients into paying fictitious traffic tickets.
The scam involves text messages that “spoof” the Pennsylvania Courts and/or Unified Judicial System’s website, making them appear legitimate. The texts typically advise that “records show that as of today, there is an outstanding traffic ticket” and demand immediate payment through a provided phishing link.
According to the AOPC, the text messages often escalate the pressure by outlining fabricated consequences for non-payment, including license and vehicle suspension, criminal prosecution, and negative impacts on personal credit scores.
“The Administrative Office of Pennsylvania Courts wants to be absolutely clear: we will never place calls or send text messages to anyone soliciting payment by credit card, gift card, or any other means of electronic funds transfer for any reason,” stated an AOPC spokesperson.
The AOPC is urging anyone who receives a suspicious text message claiming to be from the court system requesting money or payment of fines, fees, or court costs to immediately disregard the message. They advise against providing any personal information or attempting to make any payments.
Instead, recipients are encouraged to hang up immediately (if contacted by phone) and report the incident to their local police department or the Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General, Bureau of Consumer Protection, at (800) 441-2555 or via email at scams@attorneygeneral.gov.
The AOPC hopes that by raising awareness, they can protect Pennsylvanians from falling victim to this deceptive scam.
First Piper 