If you have received a text message recently claiming you owe money for a toll road violation — or warning you that you must appear in court for a civil infraction hearing — stop before you click anything. Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel is sounding the alarm on a new and increasingly convincing scam that is targeting residents across the state, and the details of how it works are worth understanding fully.
Nessel’s office issued the warning as part of National Consumer Protection Week, reissuing consumer alerts on two related threats: smishing scams and government imposter scams. The timing is deliberate. National Consumer Protection Week exists to raise awareness about the tactics that scammers use, and this particular scam is sophisticated enough that even cautious, skeptical people could be fooled by it.
What the Scam Looks Like
The latest version of this fraud arrives as a text message that includes an image — specifically a PNG file — designed to look like an official “Notice of Civil Infraction Hearing.” The fake notice claims to originate from the 36th District Court in Wayne County and warns the recipient that they are facing a toll violation hearing.
The message is constructed to create urgency and fear. It tells the recipient that they must either appear in person for a scheduled hearing or admit responsibility and pay a penalty before that hearing date. Both options are framed as mandatory, and the implied consequence of doing nothing is serious legal trouble.
That pressure is intentional. Scammers understand human psychology well enough to know that most people, when faced with what looks like an official court notice, feel an immediate spike of anxiety. The instinct is to deal with the problem quickly and make it go away. That anxiety is exactly the state of mind scammers are trying to create — because anxious people make rushed decisions, and rushed decisions are exactly how people end up handing over their personal and financial information to criminals.
The message also includes a QR code. Scanning that code directs the recipient to a website that has been carefully designed to look like a legitimate Michigan Department of State page. The visual mimicry is part of what makes this scam particularly dangerous — it is not a crudely constructed fake. Someone put real effort into making it look official, and at first glance it can be convincing.
Similar versions of this scam have been reported using the names of private toll companies and the Michigan Department of Transportation, suggesting that the people running it are testing multiple variations to find whichever version generates the most responses.
Why This Scam Works
Understanding why this scam is effective helps residents protect themselves and the people around them. Several elements combine to make it unusually convincing.
First, Michigan does have toll roads — and many residents have used them, making a toll-related notice feel plausible rather than immediately suspicious. A scam about a toll violation lands differently than one about a service you have never used.
Second, the use of a real court name — the 36th District Court in Wayne County — adds a layer of apparent legitimacy. People who are unfamiliar with how court notices are actually delivered may not immediately question whether a text message from a court is normal procedure. It isn’t. Legitimate court notices in Michigan are delivered by mail, not by text message with QR codes.
Third, the QR code is a particularly clever escalation. It adds a visual element that feels modern and official — QR codes have become normalized through their use in restaurants, businesses, and government services — and it takes the victim one step further into a fraudulent environment before they have a chance to stop and think.
Fourth, the urgency built into the message works against careful decision-making. When someone believes they have a deadline to respond to a court notice, they are less likely to pause, research the situation, and verify the claim independently.
What Attorney General Nessel Is Saying
Nessel was direct in her guidance to Michigan residents. “Scammers are using toll road scams to scare residents into turning over their hard-earned money,” she said. “When in doubt, always follow your instincts and never share personal and financial information because you received an urgent text message.”
Her advice is straightforward: verify any claims independently by contacting the 36th District Court or whatever entity the scammer is claiming to represent — directly, using contact information you look up yourself, not any phone number or link provided in the message you received. That distinction matters enormously. Clicking a link or calling a number provided by a scammer simply leads you deeper into the fraud.
Nessel also placed this specific scam in a broader context. Toll road texts are just one example of what security professionals call smishing — a combination of SMS and phishing, meaning fraud delivered via text message rather than email. Other common smishing scams include fake arrest warrant notices, fake package delivery alerts, and fraudulent job offers. The delivery method varies, but the underlying mechanics are the same: create urgency, impersonate a trusted institution, and pressure the recipient into acting before they think carefully about what they are doing.
How to Protect Yourself and People You Know
The most important habit to develop is simple: never click links or scan QR codes in unsolicited text messages, regardless of how official the message looks. If you receive a text claiming to be from a court, a government agency, or a company you do business with, go directly to that organization’s official website — typed into your browser manually — or call their publicly listed phone number to verify whether the message is real.
Courts do not send hearing notices by text message. The Michigan Department of State does not send civil infraction warnings via SMS with QR codes. The Michigan Department of Transportation does not collect toll payments through links sent in text messages. If a text message is asking you to do any of those things, it is a scam.
It is also worth taking a moment to share this information with family members who may be less familiar with how these scams work — particularly older relatives who may be less accustomed to the idea that text messages can be weaponized by criminals. Scammers deliberately target people who are less likely to question official-looking communications, and a quick conversation about what to watch for can make a real difference.
If you have already received this message or clicked a link, the recommended course of action is to report it to the Michigan Attorney General’s Consumer Protection team, monitor any financial accounts for unusual activity, and consider placing a fraud alert on your credit file as a precaution.
Scams as a Pattern, Not an Isolated Incident
What makes warnings like this one important is not just the specific scam being described — it is the broader pattern they reveal. Fraudsters are getting better at impersonating government institutions, and the tools available to them make it increasingly easy to create convincing fakes. A text with an official-looking image, a QR code, and a cloned government website takes resources and planning. The people behind these scams are not amateurs, and they are not going to stop because one version of the scam gets publicized.
The Michigan Attorney General’s Consumer Protection division serves as an important resource for residents navigating these threats. Their willingness to issue timely, specific warnings — particularly during a week dedicated to consumer protection awareness — is exactly the kind of proactive communication that helps communities stay one step ahead.
This is not the first time Michigan residents have been reminded to stay vigilant against scams and fraudulent legal proceedings. Awareness of how legal processes actually work is part of what protects people from being manipulated by those who misuse legal-sounding language. For context on how genuine legal cases unfold in the region, our coverage of the Stephen Scott Mahalik bench warrant case and the Steven Jason Jones preliminary examination illustrate how real court proceedings are communicated and conducted — a useful reference point when something arrives out of nowhere claiming urgent legal action is required.
For official guidance on how to identify and report smishing scams in Michigan, the Michigan Attorney General’s Consumer Protection division maintains up-to-date resources and a direct reporting mechanism for residents who have been targeted. And for broader national guidance on text message fraud and how to protect yourself, the Federal Trade Commission’s consumer information page on smishing offers clear, practical steps for anyone who has received a suspicious message.
