Lewis and Clark County Sheriff warns residents of traffic ticket scam
Callers posing as officials are demanding fast payment for fake traffic tickets. The sheriff says residents should verify any warrant or citation before sending money.
Lewis and Clark County residents are being warned about callers posing as law enforcement or court officials who claim an unpaid traffic ticket and demand fast payment. The scam leans on fear, telling people they face arrest, a warrant or driver suspension unless they act immediately. County officials and state agencies say the safest response is to stop, hang up and verify the citation through official channels.
The warning fits a pattern Montana agencies have already been tracking in fake DMV and court texts. The Montana Motor Vehicle Division says it does not send text messages with links to make payments, and it has warned that recent scam messages request payment while threatening driver suspension. The Federal Trade Commission says a text about an overdue traffic ticket is probably a scam.
The red flags are consistent: the contact comes out of nowhere, demands urgency and pushes unusual payment methods such as gift cards, wire transfers, cryptocurrency or prepaid debit cards. A legitimate ticket process does not rely on high-pressure calls from someone demanding immediate money to avoid an arrest. Residents who get a message claiming a warrant should not trust the caller’s number or any link in the text.
Lewis & Clark County’s jury information page warns that there are “a lot of scam calls going around” and says, “We will never call you if you miss Jury duty.” The same page says the court will never collect money over the phone and labels that kind of request “a SCAM.” The county’s Justice Court has also announced an online warrant list and told residents who get suspicious calls or texts claiming they have a warrant to independently check the official warrant list.
The county also maintains an official Ticket-Citations page for citation information, giving residents a place to confirm whether a notice is real before sending money or personal information. Lewis and Clark County’s warning did not identify any local victims, but the setup is simple: a fake authority figure, an urgent deadline and a demand for money before anyone has time to check the facts. In Lewis and Clark County, the safest move is to verify every ticket and warrant claim through official county or court channels before money changes hands.
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