Officials warn of fake New York State Court text message scam
Scammers are impersonating New York courts in an urgent text demanding payment.
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Authorities are warning the public about a new text message scam that falsely claims to be from the New York State criminal court in New York City.
The text message includes a photo of a document with instructions to pay fines or appear in court. If they don't do either, they would face a series of consequences. It even includes a QR code directing people to submit payment. It has the correct address for the Criminal Court, as well.
The text and the document are not legitimate, officials say.
Kim Von Ronn, Rockland County’s director of consumer protection, says the message is designed to provoke you.
"You see something that preys on your emotions," she said.
Von Ronn points out red flags. The text includes misspellings and incorrect wording, including two government seals that should read “State of New York” but instead contain “T‑A” and other letters that do not form a real word. She also notes that the March dates listed in the message are far too soon for any kind of default notice.
She encourages anyone who is unsure about a suspicious message to reach out to law enforcement or a trusted friend or family member.
"Because a lot of times when you're the subject of the scam, you're not thinking properly. Your emotions are high, you're not really sure. When you send it to a calm family member or friend, they can see the red flags in this scam much easier than you can," she said.
Rockland resident Nathan Schuh contacted News 12 after several people he knew received the text. He immediately noticed inconsistencies and wanted others to be aware.
"If you don't know what you're looking for, you might fall victim to this," he said.
He noticed the document didn't include anyone's name or specific information about the violation or what was owed. He also questioned whether a government agency would only include a QR code for payment. He said it came from an unknown number, too.
"It's kind of hard to tell what's real these days, especially again, people are using AI to make things look real," he said.
The New York State Courts confirmed in a social media post that the message is a scam and provided guidance on what people should do if they are uncertain about the legitimacy of any communication claiming to be from the courts.
