The Maryland Judiciary is warning residents about a new text message scam involving fake court notices tied to alleged parking and toll violations in Baltimore City.
According to officials, the scam messages claim to be a “Notice of Hearing – Traffic Violation” and reference a judge while directing recipients to appear at District Court in Baltimore City at 501 E. Fayette Street at 9am on March 20, 2026. Authorities emphasized that this is fraudulent and noted that the Fayette Street courthouse is currently closed.
The messages include a supposed case number, hearing date, and location, and instruct recipients to resolve the matter by paying a civil penalty and court costs before the hearing. They often direct individuals to scan a QR code or click a link, which officials say is fictitious and part of the scam.
The Maryland Judiciary stressed that courts do not send text messages requesting payment or personal information. Residents are urged not to click any links, scan QR codes, or provide payment or personal details if they receive a message like this.
Anyone with questions about potential scams is encouraged to contact the Maryland Attorney General’s Consumer Protection Division. For legitimate court-related inquiries, residents should contact their local District or circuit court directly.
