EPISODE · Mar 30, 2026 · 6 MIN
Scammers Getting Better
ABC News Correspondent Jim Ryan talks about how from California to Florida and Michigan to Texas, smartphones are lighting up with text messages purportedly sent by local courts or law enforcement agencies informing the recipient of a delinquent traffic ticket or other legal matters. The mechanics of the scam are not new; the text contains the typical carrot-and-stick threats of arrest followed by a method to “resolve the matter by payment of the assessed fine.” The difference this time is the impressive artwork employed by the ripoff artists.
What this episode covers
ABC News Correspondent Jim Ryan talks about how from California to Florida and Michigan to Texas, smartphones are lighting up with text messages purportedly sent by local courts or law enforcement agencies informing the recipient of a delinquent traffic ticket or other legal matters. The mechanics of the scam are not new; the text contains the typical carrot-and-stick threats of arrest followed by a method to “resolve the matter by payment of the assessed fine.” The difference this time is the impressive artwork employed by the ripoff artists.
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Scammers Getting Better
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