Kauai police warn of fake traffic citation text scam
A scam text is posing as a Kauai officer, demanding payment for a fake traffic citation and threatening arrest, license suspension and impoundment.
Kauai police on June 24 warned residents about a text-message scam that falsely claims the recipient has an unpaid traffic citation and may appear to come from a named police officer. The message can order the person to appear before the District Court of Hawaii on a specific date and time, then threaten an arrest warrant, driver’s license suspension, vehicle impoundment, wage garnishment and asset seizure if payment is not made.
The texts are not legitimate and will never ask for payments for fines or legal matters. Official court communication is handled by mail, not over the phone, and the scam’s use of a web link is meant to push people toward a fake payment page or a request for personal and financial information.
The Hawaii State Judiciary warned on March 26 about texts claiming to come from the Judiciary and demanding payment for traffic fines, then warned again on June 11 that people statewide were receiving messages posing as the Hawaii District Court or the Department of Motor Vehicles. Those texts can threaten suspension of driving privileges, vehicle registration, impoundment and wage garnishment, and some versions spoof courthouse or law-enforcement phone numbers or direct people to fake government websites.
Anyone unsure about a citation can verify it through eCourt Kōkua, the Judiciary’s online case lookup. Traffic infractions and crimes can be searched with a first and last name, while parking citations can be checked with a license plate number. It does not call, email or text people to demand payment or personal information for court-related matters unless the person first contacted the Judiciary with a specific question.
Residents who clicked the link should not enter any more information and should treat the message as fraudulent. If a card number, bank account number or other sensitive detail was shared, the safest next step is to contact the bank or card issuer right away, review recent transactions and save the text message and phone number. For anyone in doubt, call the department directly at (808) 241-1711.
Kauai County warned about a March 29, 2025 “E-Z Pass” text scam and another DMV phishing text scam on February 1, 2026.
This article was produced by Prism’s automated news system from verified source data, official records, and press releases, then run through automated quality and moderation checks before publishing. The system is built and supervised by the people who set the standards it runs under. Read our full AI policy.
Know something we missed? Have a correction or additional information?
Submit a Tip
