The Rome Police Department wants you to know something: that scary text message saying you owe money on a traffic ticket is a scam. And yes, people are falling for it.
What’s Happening: According to the police department, the texts claim you missed a ticket or a court date, threaten arrest or jail time, and include a link demanding immediate payment — which is, to be clear, not how any of this works.
What’s Important: Real traffic citations are issued in person or through official court mail. Courts do not collect fines by text message. Law enforcement does not threaten arrest over a text. If your phone is buzzing with urgent legal threats and a payment link, that is a scammer, not a cop.
How This Affects Real People: Anyone who clicks the link or sends money could hand cash directly to a fraudster with no way to get it back.
The Path Forward: Rome police say to delete the message, skip the link, and keep your wallet closed. If you genuinely cannot tell whether a citation is real call your local court directly using a phone number you looked up yourself, not one conveniently provided in the suspicious text.
B.T. Clark is the Publisher of The Georgia Sun and author of Principles Are Like Pants… You Ought to Have Some. Over two decades in journalism, he has served as Managing Editor of Neighbor Newspapers in metro Atlanta and Digital Director at Times-Journal Inc., earning multiple awards along the way. His work has appeared in newspapers across the state, including The Cherokee Tribune and The Marietta Daily Journal.
- B.T. Clark
- B.T. Clark
- B.T. Clark
- B.T. Clark
