A new smishing scam is targeting drivers across the United States. Victims receive a text message claiming they have an unpaid traffic violation. The message includes an image that looks like an official court notice, complete with a QR code for immediate payment of $6.99.
Unlike last year's toll road scams that used direct links, this variant uses a QR code embedded in a fake court document. This makes it harder for automated security tools to flag the message as malicious. The campaign has hit residents in New York, California, North Carolina, Illinois, Virginia, Texas, Connecticut, and New Jersey.
Scanning the QR code leads to a CAPTCHA page designed to filter out security researchers. After passing that, victims land on a phishing site mimicking a state DMV. It demands personal and credit card information. Hostnames like "ny.gov-skd.org" and "ny.ofkhv.life" are used to impersonate government sites.
Authorities urge consumers to never scan QR codes from unknown senders. State agencies do not send text messages requesting payment. If you receive such a text, report it by forwarding it to 7726 (SPAM) and file a complaint with the FTC at reportfraud.ftc.gov.