The rapid growth of electronic toll roads across the country has produced a new scam targeting motorists. Since early March, there have been more than 2,000 reports to the FBI about text messages attempting to collect unpaid tolls on various state toll roads.
VDOT says they have heard of at least 160 attempts in Virginia so far.
The texts appear to come from an official agency such as the Virginia Department of Transportation. The messages ask the recipient to click on a link to pay their outstanding tolls before a $50 late fee is applied to the balance.
The link will then request that the recipient input sensitive information such as credit card numbers and addresses.
If you travel on toll roads and don’t have an EZPass, cameras read your license plate and you will get a bill for the toll. But scammers are aware that not everyone knows this, and this scam tries to take advantage of those motorists.
If you fell for the scam, you can contact your bank to dispute the charges and report the scam to the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center. Be sure to include the phone number the text message came from.
If you think you might owe toll money, you can go to an official website to figure out what you owe. Here are two of the legitimate links:
EZ Pass Virginia Service Center
by Hank Silverberg
CORRESPONDENT
