Miami-Dade officials are warning residents of a "sophisticated" text message scam involving fake court documents

Miami-Dade County officials are issuing a scam alert after residents began receiving text messages claiming to be from the Miami-Dade County Clerk of the Court and the 11th Judicial Circuit.

The fraudulent texts cite a notice of default for a traffic violation, assuring recipients that it has not "entered the formal enforcement stage." The messages include fake case numbers and correct courthouse information for the Richard E. Gerstein Justice Building on NW 12th Street.

Juan Fernandez-Barquin, the Miami-Dade County Clerk of the Court and Comptroller, said the scammers are getting "more and more sophisticated."

"This one, for instance, specifically has my name... it also has a seal for the State of Florida, which is not my seal, but it's still the seal for the state, which makes it look incredibly official," Fernandez-Barquin said. His office has received countless calls from concerned residents, but has not heard of any victims yet. Local, state, and federal authorities are investigating.

Barbara Chinea-Cobo, a Weston resident, said she immediately deletes the suspicious messages. "It's a scam. I will never look at my phone. I don't even open them up. I just delete them," Chinea-Cobo said.

Fernandez-Barquin advised residents to use the official website, miamidadeclerk.gov, for payments. He noted his office only sends text messages to those already on a payment plan who have "affirmatively opted in."

The scam is not limited to South Florida. Fernandez-Barquin said the same text is popping up across the state, and the CBS News Miami team has also observed similar scams in other states, including Ohio.

Officials are reminding the public that they will never ask for personal information through text message or QR code. The Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles suggests reporting suspicious text messages to the Federal Trade Commission at reportfraud.ftc.gov.