QR Code Scams in Houston, Texas

On May 7, 2026 the Harris County Sheriff's Office warned that residents were receiving text and email documents labeled 'Final Enforcement Notice' from a nonexistent 'Harris County District Courts Traffic Division' (some versions say 'State of Texas Traffic Division'). The documents include case numbers, court dates, and a QR code demanding immediate payment, but list the Civil Courthouse address, which does not handle traffic cases. Deputies said scammers use QR codes because they look professional and people are less suspicious of them. Legitimate Justice Court payments go only through jp.hctx.net; report the scam to 713-221-6000.

Source: cw39.com

The Texas Department of Motor Vehicles warned Houston-area drivers about scam text messages claiming unpaid tickets and toll balances, increasingly delivered with QR codes instead of links to evade spam filters. The messages impersonated TxDMV and toll authorities and pressured recipients to pay small 'fees' on phishing sites that captured card details. TxDMV confirmed it never sends payment demands, violation warnings, or enforcement notices by text message.

The FBI's IC3 issued a national public service announcement after fraudulent QR code stickers were discovered on parking meters in Houston and other Texas cities. Scammers placed the stickers over legitimate payment codes, redirecting drivers to phishing sites that stole credit card information. This was one of the earliest high-profile QR code scam reports in the U.S.

Cybersecurity firms reported a wave of quishing attacks targeting employees at energy companies along Houston's Energy Corridor. Phishing emails contained QR codes pretending to be multi-factor authentication prompts from corporate IT departments.

Residents in Houston's Montrose neighborhood reported finding fake parking violation notices under their windshield wipers. The notices included QR codes linking to a fraudulent payment site. Houston Police confirmed the notices were not from the city and urged residents to only pay tickets through the official Houston municipal court website.

The FTC warned that scammers are covering legitimate QR codes on parking meters with their own stickers that lead to fake payment sites. Preview the URL before opening it, pay through the official parking app instead, and report fakes at ReportFraud.ftc.gov.

Source: consumer.ftc.gov

ESET's H1 2026 Threat Report found malicious QR codes embedded in at least 11 percent of all phishing email in the first half of 2026, with attackers using QR shorteners, MFA-token harvesting, and pre-filled payment forms.

Source: welivesecurity.com

A second FTC alert on the nationwide wave of fake traffic-ticket, toll, and court-fine texts that carry a QR code instead of a link. No court or DMV sends payment demands by text; confirm any citation using contact details you look up yourself.

Source: consumer.ftc.gov

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