The WV Secretary of State’s Office has been notified by several individuals of a text message scam in West Virginia that features the illegal use of the WV State Seal.
WV Secretary of State Kris Warner said that citizens are receiving text messages on their cell phones notifying the recipient that they have failed to pay a fine for a parking or traffic violation. The message claims that it is being sent on behalf of the Municipal Court of Kanawha County, which does not exist.
The text message indicates that the individual needs to use the QR code in the text to pay the fine immediately or to report to municipal court on Monday.
“This is clearly an illegal use of the State Seal to make the message and demand for payment appear legitimate,” said Secretary Warner. “The use of the WV State Seal is clearly prohibited for this kind of message.”
According to Warner, WV State Code 5-2-1 strictly prohibits the unauthorized use of the WV State Seal. Those found guilty of the illegal use of the WV State Seal may be subject to penalties for fraud or forgery.
Warner advised that those who receive the recent text message should NOT click on the QR code or open any attachment.
Any individual wanting to report an email or text message of any possible illegal use of the WV State Seal can send an email with the screen shot of the message to Investigations@wvsos.gov.
