Attorney General Warns Public About Government Agency Text Scams
Summary
South Dakota Attorney General Marty Jackley issued an advisory on April 22, 2026 warning residents about recurring text-message scams in which individuals impersonate law enforcement agencies or circuit courts. The scammers claim recipients face fines or arrest for unpaid traffic violations, toll road fees, or missed jury duty. The Consumer Protection Division advises consumers to contact agencies directly using official published phone numbers and to avoid providing personal or financial information to unknown callers.
“Law enforcement agencies and court offices will never send these types of messages by text.”
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What changed
The South Dakota Attorney General issued a consumer advisory warning the public about text-message scams in which fraudsters impersonate government agencies. The scams involve text messages appearing to come from law enforcement or courts, falsely claiming the recipient faces fines or arrest for unpaid traffic violations, tolls, or jury duty.
Affected parties should be aware that legitimate law enforcement agencies and court offices will never send these types of messages by text. Consumers who receive suspicious texts should not respond, avoid high-pressure tactics, and contact the Attorney General's Consumer Protection Division at 1-800-300-1986 or visit consumer.sd.gov if they believe they have been targeted.
Archived snapshot
Apr 23, 2026GovPing captured this document from the original source. If the source has since changed or been removed, this is the text as it existed at that time.
Attorney General Marty Jackley
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Attorney General Jackley Warns Public About Public Agency Scams
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Wednesday, April 22, 2026
Contact: Tony Mangan, **** Communications Director, 605-773-6878
PIERRE, S.D. – South Dakota Attorney General Marty Jackley is warning South Dakotans about recurring text-message scams in which citizens are threatened by individuals posing as government agencies.
“Many South Dakotans have recently been targeted by text messages appearing to come from law enforcement agencies or circuit courts, claiming the recipient faces a fine or arrest for an unpaid traffic violation, toll road fee, or missed jury duty,” said Attorney General Jackley. “Law enforcement agencies and court offices will never send these types of messages by text.”
The Attorney General’s Consumer Protection Division offers the following tips for handling suspicious calls or texts:
• Be aware that scammers can spoof phone numbers to make a call or text appear legitimate.
• Use caution when answering calls from numbers you do not recognize.
• If you receive a suspicious call, hang up and contact the law enforcement agency directly using its official published phone number. Do not rely on any number provided in the message.
• Do not comply with high-pressure tactics or threats demanding money.
• Never provide personal or financial information over the phone or via text.
• Do not deposit a check and then wire or send money in return.
• Hang up on robocalls and delete text messages from unknown senders.
• Speak with someone you trust before providing money or personal information to anyone who contacts you unexpectedly.
Consumers who believe they may have been targeted or victimized by a scam should contact the Attorney General’s Consumer Protection Division at 1-800-300-1986 or visit https://consumer.sd.gov/.
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