Linn County Reports New Round of Fraudulent Text Messages

Linn County has received reports of a new round of fraudulent text messages targeting residents. 

This round of text messages include what claims to be a final notice from the State of Iowa about unpaid tolls, parking violations, and speed violations – yet the notice also claims to be from the municipal court of St. Louis County in Missouri. The text message instructs the recipient to scan a QR code to settle an unpaid balance and attend a court hearing or face legal action, including suspension of their driver’s license or vehicle registration.

The County says these text messages are scams. Delete the message and report it as spam. Do not scan the QR code or provide any personal financial information to the sender.

The Iowa DOT and Linn County do not send fee collection reminders via text and will never text customers asking for private or financial information. 

If you receive a phishing text:

• Don’t click on any live links or paste links into a browser, nor respond to unexpected texts. Scammers want you to react quickly, but it’s best to stop and check it out.
• Report and delete unwanted text messages. Use your phone’s “report junk” option to report unwanted texts to your messaging app or forward them to 7726 (SPAM). Once you’ve checked it out and reported it, delete the text.

image courtesy of Linn County