logo
NC Quick Pass scams can steal credit card, social security numbers, FBI warns

NC Quick Pass scams can steal credit card, social security numbers, FBI warns

Yahoo11-03-2025

More "smishing" scams surrounding North Carolina's toll payment program, NC Quick Pass, are apparently circulating throughout the state.
Google searches for queries like "NC Quick Pass scams" skyrocketed as of the morning of Tuesday, March 11. A message is also currently active on the NC Quick Pass website reminding the public that the organization never requests payment over text.
In the past, smishing scams pretending to be associated with the NC Turnpike Authority and NC Quick Pass have included fake numbers, fraudulent websites, "owed" amounts and more. Some of these scams request information on social security numbers, as well as credit card numbers and other vital private information.
Here's what to know about smishing scams, the real NC Quick Pass and more.
More: Trump's approval ratings are in: Here's how he scores according to U.S., NC polls
Scams where a text message claims you have "unpaid tolls" are not a new concept. In fact, the Citizen Times reported on similar scams twice in 2024, with texts that directed potential victims toward a fraudulent website and named specific amounts "owed" by recipients.
A text received by an NC number on March 11, 2025, containing a fraudulent website, read as follows:
"The Toll Roads Notice of Toll Evasion: You have an unpaid toll bill on your account. To avoid late fees, pay within 12 hours or the late fees will be increased and reported to the DMV.
https://ncquickpass.scgsuihp.vip/pay
(Please reply Y, then exit the text message and open it again to activate the link, or copy the link to your Safari browser and open it)
The Toll Roads team wishes you a great day!"
According to the NC Turnpike Authority, NC Quick Pass will never request payment through a text message. If you receive a text claiming you have an outstanding toll payment due to NC Quick Pass, it is a scam.
While you may receive a text from NC Quick Pass, the organization's only number used to send texts is 696277. Again, they will never request payment through a text message.
All NC toll roads are equipped with all-electronic tolling, meaning no toll booths or requirements for drivers to slow down in order to pay tolls. Through NC Quick Pass, drivers can pay tolls with a prepaid account or by invoice.
The NC Quick Pass website states that the organization only sends texts from 696277 and never requests payments through text.
All links associated with NC Quick Pass will include ncquickpass.com or secure.ncquickpass.com.
The real link for paying your NC Quick Pass bill can be found at secure.ncquickpass.com/#/Pay. Links included in scam texts often include fraudulent websites designed to look "official," which allow scammers to steal credit card information and other valuable details from victims.
The NC Department of Transportation and FBI suggest the following measures if you receive a scam text claiming unpaid tolls. First, they suggest filing a complaint with the Internet Crime Complaint Center at www.ic3.gov, including:
The phone number from where the text originated.
The website listed within the text.
Then, the agencies suggest:
Checking your account using the toll service's legitimate website.
Contacting the toll service's customer service phone number.
Deleting any smishing texts received.
If you clicked any link or provided your information, taking efforts to secure your personal information and financial accounts.
Disputing any unfamiliar charges.
The FBI defines smishing as "a social engineering attack using fake text messages to trick people into downloading malware, sharing sensitive information, or sending money to cybercriminals."
The agency also explained that the odd name combines "SMS" - an abbreviation for "short messaging service" - with "phishing," the name for general scam attacks that use the internet, email or websites.
More: Daylight saving time can be a pain. What to know about the link between DST and headaches
Iris Seaton is the trending news reporter for the Asheville Citizen Times, part of the USA TODAY Network. Reach her at iseaton@citizentimes.com.
This article originally appeared on Asheville Citizen Times: NC Quick Pass scams: What we know about fraudulent "smishing" texts

Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Armed National Guard Troops Aid Immigration Agents on Raids in Los Angeles
Armed National Guard Troops Aid Immigration Agents on Raids in Los Angeles

New York Times

time19 minutes ago

  • New York Times

Armed National Guard Troops Aid Immigration Agents on Raids in Los Angeles

Armed National Guard troops mobilized by President Trump accompanied federal immigration enforcement officers on raids in Los Angeles on Tuesday, a move that the state of California has called unlawful and inflammatory. Tricia McLaughlin, a spokeswoman for the Department of Homeland Security, confirmed Tuesday evening that the National Guard was accompanying Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials on their operations. The Trump administration deployed nearly 5,000 National Guard troops and Marines to the Los Angeles area to stop protests. The deployment enraged officials in California, who filed lawsuits asking the court to intervene in what they called was illegal and provocative. Earlier in the evening, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth posted a photo of what appeared to be military personnel with rifles standing with ICE officers on social media. 'This We'll Defend,' he wrote. ICE also posted images on social media of officers detaining individuals while being surrounded by National Guard members who could be identified by the insignia on their uniforms. A federal judge in California set a hearing for Thursday afternoon on the state's request to restrict the federal government's use of military personnel in Los Angeles in law enforcement, limiting them only to protecting federal property. The state also demanded an emergency order by Tuesday afternoon declaring that the Marines and other troops could not accompany immigration agents on raids or perform other law enforcement activities, such as operating checkpoints. The judge, Charles S. Breyer, declined to meet the deadline.

Los Angeles leaders impose curfew as protests against Trump's immigration crackdown continue
Los Angeles leaders impose curfew as protests against Trump's immigration crackdown continue

Hamilton Spectator

time21 minutes ago

  • Hamilton Spectator

Los Angeles leaders impose curfew as protests against Trump's immigration crackdown continue

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Los Angeles leaders set a downtown curfew Tuesday on the fifth day of protests against President Donald Trump's immigration crackdown as his use of the National Guard escalated and the governor accused him of drawing a 'military dragnet' across the nation's second largest city. Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom asked a court to put an emergency stop to the military helping federal immigration agents, with some guardsmen now standing in protection around agents as they carried out arrests. He said it would only heighten tensions and promote civil unrest. The judge chose not to rule immediately, giving the administration several days to continue those activities before a hearing Thursday. The change moves troops closer to engaging in law enforcement actions like deportations as Trump has promised as part of the administration's immigration crackdown . The Guard has the authority to temporarily detain people who attack officers but any arrests ultimately would be made by law enforcement. Trump has activated more than 4,000 National Guard members and 700 Marines over the objections of city and state leaders, though the Marines have not yet been spotted in Los Angeles and Guard troops have had limited engagement with protesters. They were originally deployed to protect federal buildings. As the curfew went into effect, a police helicopter flew over downtown federal buildings that have been the center of protests and ordered people to leave the area. As it approached, several groups had gathered downtown, with some saying they planned to ignore it and others chanting calls for the gathering to remain peaceful. Officials said the curfew was necessary to stop vandalism and theft by agitators looking to cause trouble. LA mayor puts curfew in place Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass declared a local emergency and said the curfew will run from 8 p.m. Tuesday until 6 a.m. Wednesday. 'We reached a tipping point' after 23 businesses were looted, Bass said during a news conference. The curfew will be in place in a 1 square mile (2.59 square kilometer) section of downtown that includes the area where protests have occurred since Friday. The city of Los Angeles encompasses roughly 500 square miles (2,295 square kilometers). The curfew doesn't apply to residents who live in the designated area, people who are homeless, credentialed media or public safety and emergency officials, according to Los Angeles Police Chief Jim McDonnell. McDonnell said 'unlawful and dangerous behavior' had been escalating since Saturday. 'The curfew is a necessary measure to protect lives and safeguard property following several consecutive days of growing unrest throughout the city,' McDonnell said. Trump says he's open to using Insurrection Act Trump left open the possibility of invoking the Insurrection Act, which authorizes the president to deploy military forces inside the U.S. to suppress rebellion or domestic violence or to enforce the law in certain situations. It's one of the most extreme emergency powers available to a U.S. president. 'If there's an insurrection, I would certainly invoke it. We'll see,' he said from the Oval Office. Later the president called protesters 'animals' and 'a foreign enemy' in a speech at Fort Bragg ostensibly to recognize the 250th anniversary of the U.S. Army. Trump has described Los Angeles in dire terms that Bass and Newsom say are nowhere close to the truth . The protests began Friday after federal immigration raids arrested dozens of workers in Los Angeles. Protesters blocked a major freeway and set cars on fire over the weekend, and police responded with tear gas, rubber bullets and flash-bang grenades. The demonstrations have been mostly concentrated downtown in the city of 4 million. Thousands of people have peacefully rallied outside City Hall and hundreds more protested outside a federal complex that includes a detention center where some immigrants are being held following workplace raids. On Tuesday, a few dozen protesters gathered peacefully in front of the federal complex, which was quickly declared an unlawful assembly. Police issued a dispersal order and corralled the protesters, telling members of the media to stay out to avoid getting hurt. Officers with zip ties then started making arrests. McDonnell said that police had made 197 arrests on Tuesday, including 67 who were taken into custody for unlawfully occupying part of the 101 freeway. Several businesses were broken into Monday, though authorities didn't say if the looting was tied to the protests. The vast majority of arrests have been for failing to disperse, while a few others were for assault with a deadly weapon, looting, vandalism and attempted murder for tossing a Molotov cocktail. Seven police officers were reportedly injured, and at least two were taken to a hospital and released. Demonstrations have spread to other cities in the state and nationwide, including Dallas and Austin, Texas, Chicago and New York City, where a thousand people rallied and multiple arrests were made. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth suggested Tuesday that the use of troops inside the U.S. will continue to expand . The Pentagon said deploying the National Guard and Marines costs $134 million. ___ Baldor and Copp reported from Washington. Associated Press writers Dorany Pineda and Christopher Weber in Los Angeles, Amy Taxin in Orange County, California, John Seewer in Toledo, Ohio, Jim Vertuno in Austin, Texas, and Greg Bull in Seal Beach, California, contributed to this report. Error! Sorry, there was an error processing your request. There was a problem with the recaptcha. Please try again. You may unsubscribe at any time. By signing up, you agree to our terms of use and privacy policy . This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google privacy policy and terms of service apply. Want more of the latest from us? Sign up for more at our newsletter page .

Ditched by Trump's EEOC, job applicant advances bias lawsuit against Sheetz
Ditched by Trump's EEOC, job applicant advances bias lawsuit against Sheetz

Yahoo

time29 minutes ago

  • Yahoo

Ditched by Trump's EEOC, job applicant advances bias lawsuit against Sheetz

This story was originally published on HR Dive. To receive daily news and insights, subscribe to our free daily HR Dive newsletter. A Black job applicant who alleged that gas station chain Sheetz disproportionately screened out Black, Native American, Alaskan Native and multiracial applicants moved to continue his case June 5 after the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission abandoned it. EEOC filed a class-action lawsuit in April 2024 alleging that Sheetz maintained a longstanding practice of screening all job applicants for past criminal convictions and rejected those with such records. This practice violated Title VII of the 1964 Civil Rights Act, EEOC said in a press release, because it had a disparate impact on applicants of certain racial backgrounds. However, the agency moved to have the case dismissed last week because it determined that the disparate-impact claims would conflict with President Donald Trump's April 23 executive order directing agencies to cease enforcement of such claims. EEOC asked the court to defer dismissal of its claims by 60 days to allow the commission to notify class members so that they could obtain private representation. The legality of Trump's executive order on disparate-impact claims proved contentious, with one of EEOC's own administrative judges calling the order 'highly illegal.' But the June 5 filing in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania is one of the first examples in which the order has been put into practice. Trump said the end of disparate-impact liability enforcement was necessary because it inhibited businesses from hiring applicants on the basis of merit and skill. He also said that disparate-impact liability is unconstitutional and 'threatens the commitment to merit and equality of opportunity that forms the foundation of the American Dream.' The push to end disparate-impact liability is one of the goals stated by the conservative Heritage Foundation in its 'Project 2025' presidential transition document. The organization wrote that the concept should be thrown out because under disparate-impact theory, 'discriminatory motive or intent is irrelevant; the outcome is what matters. But all workplaces have disparities.' That logic has been met with resistance by former Democratic officials of the U.S. Department of Labor and EEOC, who said in May that disparate-impact liability is explicitly outlawed under Title VII and has been upheld by U.S. Supreme Court precedent. The former officials cautioned employers that they should avoid following Trump's executive order so they do not violate federal laws. 'Disparate impact liability is a necessary element of advancing equal opportunity for all, consistent with America's national commitment to equal justice,' the officials wrote. In a press release, plaintiff-side firm Outten & Golden, which is partly representing the job applicant in the Sheetz case, said EEOC had spent nearly a decade investigating the claims at issue and had found a basis to allege evidence of systemic discrimination. 'Our client has a right to be judged on his qualifications, and not to be denied a livelihood by policies that exclude people with stale convictions that are unrelated to the job,' said Ben Geffen, senior attorney at the Public Interest Law Center and a co-representative for the plaintiff, said in the press release. 'When the government steps back, we step in. We will not allow political interference to wipe out hard-won legal protections.' A similar dynamic played out following EEOC's abandonment of several lawsuits it filed on behalf of transgender workers alleging discrimination following an executive order from Trump. Advocacy groups have since filed to intervene on behalf of plaintiffs in those cases. Recommended Reading Shell Oil did not discriminate in hiring decision, 5th Cir. says

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into the world of global news and events? Download our app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store