If you have recently received a text about an unpaid toll, know that you are not alone — and that the message is likely tied to a scam.
Many Americans are seeing these messages pop up on their phones, and the Federal Trade Commission is warning that the wave of texts is part of a coast-to-coast scam intended to drain drivers’ wallets.
Fraudsters pretending to be tolling agencies are behind the scam, which might indicate the dollar amount you owe and include a link to a page that asks you to provide your bank account or credit card number. The whole nefarious plot is part of what is commonly known as a “phishing scam.”
Some scammers may even try to get your driver’s license number and other info so they can steal your identity.
If you get a text about an unpaid toll, the FTC urges you not to click on any links or to respond in any way to the text. Instead, exit the text completely and go directly to the website of your state’s tolling agency. Make sure you go to the official website — do not try to access the site from any links in the text you received.
Once you are at the right website, look for the official phone number and give the agency a call to find out if the text is legitimate. Chances are good that you will find out the text is bogus.
If it turns out that the text was a scam, use your phone’s “report junk” option. Once you have reported the phony text, delete it from your phone.
For more on staying safe these days, check out “Watch Out for These 6 Increasingly Common AI Scams.”
Add a Comment