That E-ZPass text is almost definitely a scam. Here's how to spot it.
People all over the United States are receiving text messages from fake toll collectors.
The FBI has warned about the phishing texts repeatedly over the last year.
E-ZPass and most other toll agencies do not send texts to non-account holders.
If you are among the few who have so far been spared texts from a fake toll collection agency, just wait — they are almost certainly coming.
The FBI first warned about them in April last year. At the time, the agency said it had received thousands of complaints across at least three states about phishing texts claiming to be from toll road services.
Since then, the texts have only proliferated. Law enforcement agencies across the country have posted repeated warnings about the scam.
It's a relatively easy one to spot, however, because most toll agencies do not send text messages to collect fees. The Toll Roads, a payment service for toll fees in California, said in a December warning that it does not send text messages to non-account holders.
"The Toll Roads is advising drivers to disregard phishing texts being sent to their phones that detail a specific outstanding toll amount or Notice of Toll Evasion," the warning said.
One scam text sent on March 8 and reviewed by Business Insider claimed to be from the toll payment service E-ZPass, which is used in several states.
E-ZPass also does not send text messages to non-account holders, and would never send text messages asking for personal information, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul said in a January consumer warning.
Other toll scam texts reviewed by BI showed phone numbers that originated in countries outside the United States — a telltale sign of fraud. Some of these text messages ask the recipient to respond with a "Y" to activate the link in the message.
In January, the FTC said that the best ways to avoid a fake toll collection text are to not click on any links in the message, check with the agency to ensure any received texts are real, or simply delete the message.
You can report suspected scam messages to the FTC's consumer fraud complaints division at reportfraud.ftc.gov.
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