In recent times, a concerning trend has emerged involving fraudulent text messages claiming that individuals owe unpaid tolls. According to data gathered from the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center, more than 60,000 complaints were filed last year regarding unpaid toll scams, indicating a widespread issue impacting people across the United States. These fraudulent texts generally inform recipients that they owe money for highway tolls, creating a sense of urgency that scammers exploit.
The criminals behind these scams often utilize technology to make their communications appear legitimate. Many of the messages come from phone numbers that look real and may even include fake yet convincing email addresses. The FBI has indicated that these texts may contain links that seem to originate from a state toll service, complete with a phone number for added credibility. This deceptive strategy effectively catches many unsuspecting individuals off guard.
Consumer protection organization McAfee conducted a study and found that scam texts had nearly quadrupled between January and late February of this year alone. Steve Grobman, the executive vice president and chief technology officer at McAfee, commented on the success of these toll scams, suggesting that they cleverly leverage strong social cues to manipulate consumers. He pointed out that scammers can access location data, derived from past data breaches, allowing them to target individuals with relevant toll scam messages based on their geographic areas.
Research from McAfee indicated that a staggering 76% of scam messages from the earlier part of the year included links designed to mislead recipients. Notably, many of these links utilized URL shorteners, such as bit.ly, to obscure their actual destinations. Additionally, the fraudulent websites used a range of unconventional domain endings like “.vip,” “.top,” and “.xin” to give the false impression of being legitimate official sites.
An illustrative case is that of Caroline Holland, a resident of Massachusetts, who thought she was adequately informed about frauds circulating through text messages. Having seen various reports about toll scams in the media, she believed she could easily identify and ignore them. Yet, not long after dismissing the suspicious texts, Holland received a letter from a collection agency stating that she owed money for unpaid tolls. It later revealed that her EZDriveMA account, linked to the Massachusetts tolling system, had gone into default due to an expired credit card.
When contacted for verification, the Massachusetts Department of Transportation (DOT) initially denied that it sent out such text messages. However, upon reviewing Holland’s account details, they clarified that EZDriveMA does employ text messaging for alerting users about legitimate issues, such as low balances or card expirations. These communications do not contain links nor request payments through text messages.
Holland’s experience encapsulates a common predicament faced by many; scammers often mine publicly available information to craft messages that blend seamlessly with real transactions. It is reported that, on average, an American encounters around 14 scam messages or deepfake communications each day across various platforms, including social media, text messages, and emails.
Grobman expressed concern, stating that the tactics of scammers are intentionally designed to produce feelings of fear, anxiety, and urgency among their targets. The guidance from the FBI echoes this sentiment, urging the public to be vigilant when receiving unsolicited messages, even if they appear to be from a trusted source. The entity advises individuals never to click on links within unsolicited texts and to verify any requests through company contact numbers found independently of the communicated information.
The advice extends to being cautious about application downloads and maintaining stringent safeguards on personal information and financial accounts. Should anyone mistakenly engage with fraudulent communications, the FBI provides recommendations for securing personal information and encourages victims to report such messages to the Internet Crime Complaint Center and relevant authorities. This proactive approach can contribute to a collective effort to mitigate the impact of these scams nationwide.