Kauai County warns residents about fake court, traffic payment texts

A text claiming you owe a traffic fine can quickly turn into a money loss for a Kauai driver, and county officials said scammers are counting on that panic. The Kauai County Finance Department warned on April 30 that fraudulent messages are impersonating a Hawaii court or traffic enforcement agency and trying to collect payment.

The county said the texts come from unknown phone numbers and may use images that look like official government notices. Some messages reference traffic violations, enforcement action, unpaid tolls, court-ordered compliance or pending fines, then push recipients to click payment links, scan QR codes or hand over personal and financial information. Kauai County said the notices are not affiliated with the County of Kauai, the State of Hawaii Judiciary, the County Division of Motor Vehicles or any legitimate government agency.

For residents who recently received a citation, handled a registration issue or expect court mail, the scam can feel especially believable. The county’s warning said official DMV communications do not ask for payment through unsolicited texts, third-party websites or unfamiliar web addresses. Drivers who are unsure about a notice were told to verify registration or citation status directly with the Kauai County Division of Motor Vehicles by emailing kauaidmv@kauai.gov or calling 808-241-4242.

The April alert followed a February 1 county DMV phishing warning that described texts beginning with the line “Important: Your Traffic Fine is Pending Payment.” That earlier message threatened vehicle registration cancellation, temporary license suspension, added service fees and legal action if the recipient did not pay through a link.

State agencies then reinforced the warning. On February 2, the Hawaii State Judiciary said the traffic-citation texts were scams and noted that official communication about unpaid citations is generally handled through U.S. mail. The Judiciary also told residents they can check citation status in eCourt Kokua. A day later, Honolulu officials warned that similar scam texts and emails were circulating statewide. On March 11, the Hawaii Department of Transportation added that there is no “Hawaii Department of Motor Vehicles” and no toll roads in Hawaii.

The Federal Trade Commission said in April that it had seen a spike in reports about traffic-violation scam texts in the last month. Kauai County told residents to report phishing attempts to the State of Hawaii Office of Consumer Protection or to the FTC at reportfraud.ftc.gov, before a fake fine turns into a real loss.