Summer road trips are a great way to explore the country, but beware of a new scam targeting travelers: toll smishing.
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has issued a warning about the dangers of unpaid text message scams.
These scams, often referred to as “smishing,” are designed to trick people into revealing their personal information.
The scam works like this: You receive a text message saying you have unpaid tolls on your account.
The message may include a false toll amount and a threat of late fees. To avoid these fines, the text tells you to click on a link to settle the balance.
An urgent warning has been issued about a clever text scam called ‘smishing’ targeting travellers.
However, clicking on the link will direct you to a fraudulent website designed to steal your personal information, such as your credit card number, driver’s license information, or passwords.
The FBI said it has received more than 2,000 complaints since March.
Wolfgang Goerlich, a cybersecurity researcher at Boston-based IANS Research, has highlighted the growing popularity of smishing scams. According to Goerlich, the shift from phone calls to text messages in everyday life has made smishing scams more effective.
Given our familiarity with text messages sent to update flight itineraries or future payments, a text message about unpaid tolls may seem legitimate and non-threatening. Goerlich emphasizes the importance of remaining alert and cautious when responding to suspicious text messages.
Michael Scheumack, director of innovation and marketing at IdentityIQ, a leading identity theft protection service, warned about the tactics used by fraudsters on toll roads.
These criminals often create a sense of urgency to pressure victims into paying quickly. In the FBI example mentioned above, the scammers threaten late fees if the victim fails to pay.
If a victim clicks on the link in the fraudulent text, they may be redirected to a fake website designed to collect sensitive information such as driver’s licenses, credit card details, usernames, passwords, or even malware that can infect their smartphone.
By providing personal information, victims can put themselves at serious risk of identity theft. Scheumack stresses the importance of being cautious and avoiding clicking on links included in suspicious text messages.
It’s important to remember that toll agencies typically don’t send text messages about unpaid tolls, but will instead send you a notice by mail, according to chief scientist and executive vice president of product and development Dr. Zulfikar Ramzan.
It’s important to remember that toll agencies typically don’t send text messages about unpaid tolls. Instead, they’ll send you a notice by mail, according to chief scientist and executive vice president of product and development Dr. Zulfikar Ramzan.
If you receive a suspicious text message, it is likely a scam.
Ramzan also said that one should be skeptical of links in messages.
He advises that if you suspect the link is legitimate, hover over it to inspect the URL before clicking. A mismatched or suspicious URL is a strong indicator of a scam.
It’s also important to watch out for typos or strange phrasing, which are a telltale sign of a toll scam.
If you believe you have been the victim of a toll road scam, be sure to contact your card issuer, freeze and monitor your credit reports, and sign up for an identity theft protection service.
The FTC recommends that you do not delete the fraudulent message before reporting the scam.
“Use your phone’s spam reporting option to report these unwanted messages to your messaging app or forward them to 7726 (SPAM),” the agency says.