Philadelphia Courts issue warning over scam text messages alleging unpaid tolls

The Philadelphia Courts issued a warning Sunday about a texting scam that alleges recipients failed to pay a Pennsylvania Turnpike toll.

The messages, which appear to come from the Traffic Division of Philadelphia Municipal Court, typically have a headline that says "Notice of Hearing - TOLL VIOLATION," and then prompts the person who got the text to either "apply for a hearing" or pay the penalty.

The court system says a QR code is included in the message.

Anyone who receives this scam message is urged to ignore it and not scan the QR code. Philadelphia Courts will never send texts demanding payment for tolls, parking or other violations, and will never request Social Security numbers or credit card information over the phone or in a text message.

The court system added that people should never share personal, banking or credit card information through links sent from unknown numbers.

If you received one of these texts messages or believe you're a victim of the scam, Philadelphia Courts says to contact your local police department, the Pennsylvania Attorney General's Bureau of Consumer Protection at 800-441-2555 or the Federal Trade Commission.