West Virginia
New scam text illegally uses West Virginia State Seal
CHARLESTON, W.Va. (WOWK) — The West Virginia Secretary of State’s Office is warning people of a new text scam that is illegally using the State Seal.
The Secretary of State’s Office said in a release Saturday that the scam texts are telling recipients that they failed to pay a fine for a parking or traffic violation, and that they need to use a QR code to pay immediately or go to municipal court on Monday.
Those who receive the scam text are advised not to click on any attachments or use the QR code.
“This is clearly an illegal use of the State Seal to make the message and demand for payment appear legitimate,” Secretary Kris Warner said. “The use of the WV State Seal is clearly prohibited for this kind of message.”
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Warner said that under WV State Code 521, those guilty of illegally using the WV State Seal can face penalties for fraud or forgery.
Those looking to report a scam email or text can send an email with a screenshot of the scam message to Investigations@wvsos.gov.
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