Scammers Impersonate Bernalillo County Court in Fake Toll Violation Scam

New Mexico residents targeted despite state having no toll roads

Published on Mar. 6, 2026

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New Mexicans are being targeted by a scam involving fake toll violation messages that appear to be from the Bernalillo County Magistrate Court, despite the state having no toll roads. The scammers have escalated their tactics, sending messages that look like official court documents and instructing recipients to appear before a judge or pay a fine. However, the documents contain errors and the court has clarified they would never communicate this way.

Why it matters

This scam highlights the growing sophistication of impersonation schemes, as scammers attempt to take advantage of residents by posing as legitimate authorities. It also underscores the importance of public awareness around common scams, especially those targeting vulnerable populations.

The details

The scam, which has been around for at least a year, initially involved simple text messages. Recently, scammers have escalated their tactics, sending messages that appear to be official documents from the Bernalillo County Magistrate Court. The messages instruct recipients to appear before a judge or scan a QR code to pay a fine. However, the documents contain errors, such as an unreadable seal, and New Mexico does not have toll roads.

  • The scam has been around for at least a year.
  • On Thursday, the court received at least 500 calls about the scam.

The players

Bernalillo County Magistrate Court

The local court that scammers are impersonating in this toll violation scam.

Camille Cordova

The public information officer for the Bernalillo County Metropolitan Court, who clarified the court's communication methods and advised residents to ignore any messages about paying a toll.

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What they’re saying

“The courts will never text you if you happen to have an outstanding charge or owe outstanding fines. that sort of communication would come through the mail. the court does text message reminders if someone has an upcoming court date but other than that, you will not hear from the court via text.”

— Camille Cordova, Public Information Officer, Bernalillo County Metropolitan Court (kob.com)

The takeaway

This scam highlights the growing sophistication of impersonation schemes, as scammers attempt to take advantage of residents by posing as legitimate authorities. It underscores the importance of public awareness around common scams, especially those targeting vulnerable populations, and the need for continued vigilance against such fraudulent activities.