BEDFORD COUNTY, TN – If you’ve been losing sleep over an imaginary parking ticket in a non-existent toll booth on a toll-free Tennessee road, take a deep breath. You’re not crazy—you’re just the latest target of a laughably bad scam that’s making the rounds via text.

The Bedford County Sheriff’s Office has confirmed that this newest scam is sliding into phones across Middle Tennessee, posing as an urgent "Final Notice" from the Tennessee Department of Vehicles (which, fun fact, isn’t a real thing). The message warns you to pay up for your supposed traffic violation before enforcement begins on June 8—or else.

And here’s the kicker: the warning says your unpaid ticket might be transferred to a toll booth. Which is an impressive threat, considering there are exactly zero toll booths in Tennessee. Zip. Nada. Goose egg. Our state is proudly one of only 15 in the U.S. that has managed to stay toll-free.

But scammers aren’t letting facts get in the way of a good hustle. The message also threatens DMV suspension, credit score destruction, and public shame (okay, we added that last part). And of course, it gives you a convenient, totally trustworthy link to pay your "fine": https://tndmv.gov-dkfi.icu/pay. Because who wouldn’t trust a domain that looks like someone fell asleep on their keyboard?

The Sheriff’s Office urges residents to absolutely not click the link or respond. Unless, of course, you’re eager to donate your personal data to someone’s fake Caribbean timeshare startup.

Even the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has taken notice, saying they’ve been flooded with complaints nationwide. According to the FCC, legitimate toll operators like E-ZPass, FasTrak, and I-Pass do not text people demanding payment, and definitely don’t try to scare you into compliance using threatening countdowns or fake laws like "North Tennessee State Administrative Code 15C-16.003"—which sounds made up because it is.

So if you receive this text, remember: you didn’t get a parking ticket, your registration isn’t being suspended, and there’s still not a toll booth in sight. The only real violation here is against your intelligence.