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Nessel Warns Residents of New Toll Road Scam
Mike Kaufman
Mon, 02 Mar 2026 21:17:23 EST
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As part of National Consumer Protection Week, Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel is reissuing her consumer alerts on smishing scams and government imposter scams due to a new version of a toll road scam targeting residents. This latest scam involves a fraudulent text with an image (PNG) claiming to be a "Notice of Civil Infraction Hearing" regarding a toll violation from the 36th District Court in Wayne County. The message falsely warns that the recipient must appear in person for a hearing or admit responsibility and pay a penalty before the scheduled hearing date.
The scam also includes a QR code that leads to a deceptive website designed to appear legitimate from the Michigan Department of State. Similar scams have also been reported using the names of private companies and the Michigan Department of Transportation.
"Scammers are using toll road scams to scare residents into turning over their hard-earned money," said Attorney General Nessel. "When in doubt, always follow your instincts and never share personal and financial information because you received an urgent text message. Verify any claims with the 36th District Court or any entity a scammer is claiming to represent."
Text messages about toll road fees and fines are just one example of smishing. Other examples include text scams about arrest warrants, undelivered packages, and job offers.
