Scam alert: State courts warn Oregonians not to fall for fake texts imitating court notices

SALEM, Ore. (KTVZ) — The Oregon Judicial Department warned Oregonians Thursday of a new scam text message that imitates a court-ordered notice regarding traffic fees.

The scam comes in the form of a text message that includes an image, with no other text or information. The image appears to be a “Final Court-Ordered Mandatory Collection Notice” from Multnomah County Circuit Court, with fake court hearing information and instructions to scan a QR code to make a payment.

"Oregon’s state courts will NEVER require you to provide sensitive information, such as bank information or credit card information, over the phone, email, or text," the department said.

"We may text you with jury notices and reminders, but these texts will never request personal information, make threats, or demand money," they added.

This particular scam appears to be part of a similar effort in other states, all of which mention the same Judge Michael Rodriguez. At this time, there is no Judge Michael Rodriguez in any state court in Oregon.

How to protect yourself from scams

If you get a call or other message that demands information or money:

• Do not provide the information or payment they ask for.
• Do not reply directly to the text or email, click on any links, or open any attachments. Scammers often make the messages look like they are coming from a real court or police agency. The messages are fake.
• If the website is not an official Oregon Judicial Department website, do not click on it or use it. Their official webpages have “courts.oregon.gov” in the web address.
• Hang up the phone and do not engage with the caller.
• Reach out directly to the court or law enforcement agency to see if the call was real. Find contact information for individual Oregon state courts here, or contact the Oregon Judicial Department at 503-986-5500.
• Report scams and suspicious communications to the Federal Trade Commission.