Police Warn About Hawaii District Court – Traffic Violations Summons Text Scam

The Hawai‘i Police Department is warning the public of a text scam after receiving reports of unknown individuals posing as representatives from the Hawai‘i District Court claiming that the recipients have an outstanding traffic fine that must be paid immediately to avoid penalties. 

While these types of scams are not new, this particular version includes official looking names and titles and an official looking website link.  Multiple residents have reported receiving the text message. 

The scam text message typically states that the receiver must appear before the court, claims the recipient has unpaid fines and warns that noncompliance will result in suspension of the recipient’s driver’s license, arrest, vehicle impoundment, civil action, wage withholding and asset forfeiture. An example is provided below.

These messages are fraudulent. While the State of Hawaii Judiciary can send court appearance reminders via text message, those recipients must “opt-in” to that service.

Members of the public are advised to take the following precautions:

• Do not click on any links contained in suspicious text messages.
• Do not provide personal or financial information in response to unsolicited messages.
• Delete the message immediately.

Scammers frequently use urgent language to pressure individuals into acting quickly. The public is encouraged to remain cautious and verify any unexpected communication claiming to be from a government agency. We encourage residents to stay vigilant against scams. 

If you have clicked on the link or entered financial information, we recommend the following:

• Close the page immediately.
• Scan your device (i.e., whatever you opened the link on) for malware and ensure your antivirus and security tools are up to date.
• If you entered any information on the site, change your passwords and enable multifactor authentication.
• Monitor your bank and credit accounts.
• Report the scam at https://reportfraud.ftc.gov/.