A resurgence of the smishing scam that’s based on fraudulent toll payment demands precipitated a new wave of warnings yesterday.
The Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission (PTC) reminded its customers “to be vigilant and refrain from clicking on any links or engaging with unexpected texts” after detecting new versions of the scheme. In one variation, crooks impersonate a collection agency supposedly working for PTC.
ABC News New York reported that law enforcement authorities issued a warning that scammers “have flooded phones with official-looking text messages” since the January start of MTA congestion pricing. The messages, which purport to come from E-ZPass New York, carry the familiar demand to make a delinquent toll payment. Victims are lured into disclosing personal identification or financial information, which is the scammers’ main objective.
WVEC interviewed residents and visitors in Virginia’s Hampton Roads region who report receiving multiple smishing messages over the past few weeks.
KXAN reported that TxDOT “is still fielding reports of fraudulent text messages targeting toll customers,” and it has been tracking “an uptick in phishing efforts in September.”
Federal law enforcement agencies have echoed warnings about the scam but are unresponsive to requests for information about the number of actual victims or their efforts, if any, to deter the fraud. However, one state agency, the Florida Attorney General’s Office, has been open about its effort to stem toll-related scams.
According to Sarasota Herald-Tribune, the office announced Monday that it coordinated an effort that shut down “hundreds” of fraudulent SunPass websites. The state’s acting attorney general added that a new consumer protection resource, Scams at a Glance: SunPass Safety, is now available to help people recognize and avoid toll collection scams. The attorney general’s office took similar enforcement action last summer.