Your phone buzzes. It's a text that looks like an official court document. It has a state seal. A case number. A hearing date and time. It says you owe a fine for a traffic violation.

And there's a QR code to pay it right now and avoid court.

The FTC issued an alert this week after seeing a spike in reports about this scam. The text might look official, with a seal from whatever state it claims to be from and a fake case number. Scammers want you to act quickly, so the text lists bad things that can happen if you don't respond now: default judgments, fines, enforcement actions.

Here's what makes it especially sneaky. The QR code is already on your phone. You don't need a second device to scan it. One tap and your phone reads it automatically, taking you straight to a fake payment page before you've had a second to think.

If you scan it, they'll try to steal personal information like your Social Security or credit card number, download malware on your phone, and steal your money.

Courts don't send QR codes by text. They send paper notices by mail.

The rule: If you get a text about a traffic violation, don't tap the QR code. If you think it could be real, go directly to your state's court website and look up your case yourself.

Source: FTC Consumer Alert

This one is scarier because the caller sounds completely real.

They call and say they're a sheriff's deputy or court official. They say you missed jury duty. They say there's a warrant out for your arrest. They use words like detainment and contempt of court. Then they tell you the only way to avoid being arrested today is to pay a fine right now.

A Colorado Springs resident lost thousands of dollars this week after a caller claimed to be with the El Paso County Sheriff's Office and said a federal jury summons had been missed, resulting in possible arrest. "They were using words like detainment, 30 to 45 days in jail, we need you to comply," the resident said.

The scam ended only after a family member stepped in.

A court would never demand payment or sensitive information over the telephone. If a prospective juror does not appear for jury service, the juror may be required to appear before a judge, who, after hearing from the person, could impose a fine, but that would never occur without a court appearance.

No phone call, no QR code, no gift card payment. Ever.

The rule: Hang up. Call your county court directly using a number from their official .gov website to verify whether anything is real.

Source: KKTV News

This text/email is making the rounds right now:

"UPS: Your package could not be delivered due to incomplete address information. Update your details to avoid return: ups-delivery-update.com"

Let's break it down.

First, that URL. UPS doesn't use random domains like "ups-delivery-update.com." The real site is ups.com. Any extra words, hyphens, or unfamiliar domains are a dead giveaway.

Second, the timing. Shipping and delivery scams surge every holiday season as scammers exploit the flood of online orders. They know you're expecting packages, so a "delivery problem" text feels believable.

Third, these messages are increasingly polished, often AI-written and perfectly timed with real deliveries. That's why they catch people off guard.

What to do:

If you receive something that says you have a delivery problem, go back to where you purchased it. You can also go on the shipping site and enter tracking numbers. Don't click links in unexpected texts.

Here's what all three scams this week have in common.

They come from somewhere official-sounding. A court. A sheriff's office. Apple. They tell you that you did something wrong, or that something bad is about to happen to you. And they give you a way to fix it immediately, usually a QR code, a phone number, or a link.

In newer versions of the jury duty scam, scammers are now sending victims a text with a picture of a fake arrest warrant and a QR code to scan. The caller ID may even appear to be from the actual Sheriff's Office, because that can be faked too. WBAY

That's the tell right there.

Real government agencies and real tech companies don't combine fear with a QR code or a payment link. When something is actually wrong, they give you time. They put it in writing. They send mail. They don't contact you out of nowhere and tell you to pay in the next ten minutes to avoid jail.

The rule: Any message that combines a threat with an immediate action is a scam. Full stop.