Overview
- Michigan State Police, which posted an alert Monday, reported a fresh wave of Wayne County “toll” texts that hit metro Detroit phones over the weekend.
- The messages mimic official notices with a state seal, case number, a May 4 hearing time, and a QR code that links to fake payment portals.
- A WXYZ test scan led first to a bogus Michigan DOT page that asked for personal and card details and later redirected to a Connecticut site that demanded an unsettled toll payment.
- Officials stress that Michigan has no toll roads and that courts and police do not collect fines by text, so recipients should delete the message and avoid clicking links or scanning codes.
- State and local agencies ask victims to file reports and to notify the FTC or the BBB Scam Tracker, noting the operation may be run from overseas and mirrors multi-state scams that have even drawn crowds to false court hearings, including one in Colorado.