The Hawaii State Judiciary is warning residents about a text-message scam that claims recipients have unpaid traffic citations and must pay immediately.

People across the state have received messages claiming to be from the Hawaii District Court or the Department of Motor Vehicles, threatening them with the suspension of their driving privileges and vehicle registration, vehicle impoundment, wage garnishment and other consequences.

The judiciary emphasizes that state courts and the DMV do not send unsolicited texts, calls or emails demanding payment for traffic citations. Most official communication regarding unpaid citations is handled through the U.S. mail.

Residents who are unsure whether they have an unpaid citation can check eCourt Kokua, the Judiciary’s online case lookup system.

Anyone who believes they have been targeted by a scam should contact local law enforcement. Those who have provided personal information or sent money to a scammer are encouraged to report the incident to police, the Federal Trade Commission or the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center.

More information is available at courts.state.hi.us/general_information/scam_alerts.