The Philadelphia Courts recently issued a statewide fraud alert, warning consumers about a fictitious text messaging scam purporting to come from the Traffic Division of Philadelphia Municipal Court.

The headline on the text message reads, “Notice of Hearing - TOLL VIOLATION.”

The text notice falsely instructs recipients to “Appear for a hearing” or resolve the matter by “payment of the assessed civil penalty ... prior to the hearing date.”

A QR code for payment is provided in the text.

The courts have been hearing from people throughout Pennsylvania who have received these fraudulent text messages.

The courts strongly advise consumers to ignore these texts and not scan the QR code.

The courts will never send a text message demanding payment for any toll, parking or other violations.

The public is cautioned to never provide personal, banking or credit card information via a link sent through an unknown text or phone call.

The courts never request Social Security numbers or credit card information over the phone or via text.

If you have received one of these text messages or are a victim of this scam, call your local police department or contact the PA Attorney General’s Bureau of Consumer Protection at 800-441-2555, or contact the Federal Trade Commission at ftc.gov.

To learn about recent scams and how to recognize the warning signs, please visit the Federal Trade Commission’s website.