Warning over fake traffic ticket scam demanding $178 payments from drivers

DRIVERS have been warned over a new mail scam where fraudsters try to convince them to pay out hundreds of dollars in bogus traffic fines.

Victims have been sent legitimate-looking letters claiming they jumped a red light, and demanding they pay a $178 ticket.

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Most concerning is that drivers in Lauderhill, Florida, received letters that included photographs of their vehicle's license plate as well, WPLG reports.

Lauderhill Police believe that scammers are photographing cars in people's driveways, and using the pictures in the letters to try and convince victims that they were caught on a traffic camera.

Krizia Torres told WPLG that she was almost taken in by the scam when she received the official-looking letter.

But on inspection she realized the letter featured the seal of the wrong city, and was dated February 30th - a date that doesn't exist.

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How do I avoid this happening to me?

To avoid falling victim to the a similar scam, the first thing you should do is pick up the phone to city or police officials - but do not use the number on the letter as it is likely to be run by the scammers.

A quick search of the city or police department's official website should get you a correct number to call.

If the police or city that is supposed to have issued the ticket cannot verify that they issued it, then it is probably scam.

If you get an email about a traffic violation you should automatically be suspicious, as real police departments usually won't take care of this business via email.

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You should also avoid clicking on any email links or download anything to see your violation or to make a payment, as it could be a virus or ransomware.

It is also important not to give out personal information or banking information over the phone, as legitimate law enforcement won't require you to do that.

Sometimes there is an option to pay tickets online, but make sure it is the official website and that the URL begins with 'https' - the 's' means secure and it should be in any URL involving monetary purchases.

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Also, read the fine print, the ticket may not even be for you. Or it may say you ran a red light in an area where there aren't any red light cameras, or any traffic lights at all.

In short, just pay attention to the details, and use your due diligence and you'll be fine.

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