The Cook County Clerk’s office and multiple police departments are warning residents of a scam circulating that falsely claims a court order requiring payment for traffic violations.

The fraudulent notice instructs recipients to scan a QR code to submit payment for unpaid parking or toll violations, threatening court action if no response is taken.

“This document is not legitimate and was not issued by the Circuit Court of Cook County,” court officials said in a news release. “The Circuit Court does not send hearing notices in this format, does not demand payment through unsolicited QR codes, and does not threaten arrest or credit reporting in this manner for unpaid parking matters.”

People are urged not to scan the QR code, not submit payment through links or QR codes included in unsolicited messages and not to provide personal or financial information in response to this notice.

Official court information, including case details and payment options, is available only through the Cook County Circuit Court’s official website or by contacting the Clerk of the Circuit Court directly.

Anyone who receives this fraudulent notice is encouraged to report the scam to their local police department and the Illinois Attorney General’s Office.

The fraudulent notice has been circulating around Cook County and surrounding areas, with police departments from Pingree Grove, Oswego and Hoffman Estates also warning residents about the scam.

The Pingree Grove Police Department posted a warning on its Facebook page Thursday that the scam was also reported in Sycamore.

Pingree Grove police said in the post that they have recently started issuing printed citations for ordinance violations with QR codes on them.

“Those are safe to scan because you would be holding the physical ticket that was issued,” officials wrote in the post. “If you’re unsure, bring the ticket into the police department so we can verify it for you.”

Text messages will never be sent to pay for fines and no government agency will ask for payment through gift cards or bitcoin, police wrote in the post.