State Police Warn About New Round Of Fake Court, DMV Text Payment Demands In Tolland, Hartford Counties

HARTFORD/TOLLAND COUNTY, CT — Scams related to "tickets" and "courts" and motor vehicle matters are making new rounds in Tolland and Hartford Counties, state police said.

State police Thursday said residents are being warned to ignore text messages claiming to come from the "Connecticut State Police Court" and "Connecticut Superior Court," the Department of Motor Vehicles or another government agency if the message demands immediate payment or threatens to suspend a license or registration.

The alert says recipients should not click any link in the message or reply.

According to the warning, government agencies do not send payment demands through random text messages. The notice also points to suspicious links, especially shortened or unusual URLs, as a major red flag. It says scammers use urgency and threats to pressure people into acting quickly.

The guidance lays out several steps for anyone who gets one of the messages. Residents are told not to click the link or reply, and to report the message as spam. The notice also says people should verify any claim directly through the official state website instead of responding through a text.

State police said the messages are part of a scam pattern.

"Stay cautious and share the warning with others so more people can avoid falling victim," authorities said. "For residents who receive one of the texts, the steps in the alert are straightforward: do not engage, report the message as spam and verify any issue through an official state source."

One red flag is the language. In one scam text message, there is a reference to "tolls," which do not exits in Connecticut.

Here is an example:

Here is another: