Latest news with #E-ZPass'
Yahoo
04-06-2025
- Yahoo
Got a text about unpaid tolls in West Virginia? DMV says its a scam
CHARLESTON, (WBOY) — Have you received a text from the West Virginia DMV saying your 'toll account is unpaid?' You're not alone, and you're most likely not in any trouble either, officials say. In a release put out Wednesday, the West Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) warned that scam texts have been going out to the public, warning them that if they don't pay an outstanding balance soon, they could face suspension, license revocation or negative hits to their credit. 'None of it is legitimate,' DMV officials said. Morgantown says some payments may have been lost in USPS truck fire The message also includes a link to a website where people can pay the false bill. DMV officials said that the department does not send out texts and urged the public not to click on any links they receive claiming to be from it. A sample version of the scam can be found below. It should be noted that the referenced 'West Virginia Administrative Code 15C-16.003' is not even a real part of the actual State Code. 'Our system shows that your toll account is still unpaid. According to West Virginia Administrative Code 15C-16.003, if you fail to pay the outstanding amount by June 5, the Department of Motor Vehicles will initiate formal enforcement proceedings starting June 6. Consequences include:1. Violation information will be recorded in the Department of Motor Vehicles enforcement database2. Vehicle registration is suspended3. Driver's license is revoked for at least 30 days4. Mandatory payment of 35% administrative service fee5. Possible legal action and negative credit reportPay Now:' The West Virginia Parkways Authority put out a similar warning about scam 'E-ZPass' text earlier this year, and the FBI has warned of similar unpaid toll bill scams happening across the country. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
02-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Fake toll alerts from E-ZPASS scamming drivers in Acadiana
LAFAYETTE, La. (KLFY) – Lafayette Parish Sheriff has a warning about a scam alert. People in Acadiana are receiving texts from 'E-ZPass' or another toll service claiming you owe money. Don't click the link or reply because it's a scam! Eye on Scams: Toll fee text message scams This type of scam, called 'smishing' (text message phishing), sends fake messages pretending you have unpaid tolls, trying to steal your personal or payment information. For Louisiana drivers: Louisiana DOTD runs GeauxPass, the electronic toll system for roads like the LA 1 Expressway and the Lake Pontchartrain Causeway. E-ZPass from other states does not work here. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Chicago Tribune
02-04-2025
- Chicago Tribune
Column: Online scams harder to recognize since days of the Nigerian prince
Apparently, we've cracked the Nigerian prince code and cons promising us romance. Swindlers have now moved on with phony dodges using the nation's tollway system as an unwilling partner. Perhaps you are among those who have received unsolicited texts allegedly from tollway folks saying you have an 'outstanding balance' in your E-ZPass account. These chiselers, perhaps those renowned Russian bad actors, are now scrapping the bottom of the barrel with this latest fraud trying to steal identities. I received my second 'final reminder' cellphone notice last week. If you have gotten them, cyber-security aces say don't respond and delete the message. 'If you fail to pay you will be penalized or subject to legal action,' the text warned me. 'Please settle your toll immediately after reading this message to avoid penalties for delaying the payment.' Attached was a link to an 'E-ZPass' site. The scammers are so polite as they try to take your money, even thanking you in advance for your cooperation. Which, of course, isn't going to happen. First, one clue is that the Illinois Tollway Authority doesn't use E-ZPass, except on the Chicago Skyway. E-ZPass is used in 20 states, mainly on the East Coast. The Tollway has its own I-PASS system. Something that the office of Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul first reminded motorists around this time last year when complaints from consumers first began surfacing in the Land of Lincoln. The Federal Trade Commission issued a national warning about the scam in January. Such internet confidence games are known by the portmanteau of 'smishing' (short message service phishing). They are meant to get us to share personal or financial information by replying to the link. This toll-owing hoax follows one of the original internet ruses, the 'Nigerian prince' scam. Many will remember that the so-called prince poses as a rich person who needs to move huge sums of money out of his country. If you help him, you get a generous share of the fortune, the prince promises. What one actually gets is some trickster having access to your bank account where the information is used, abused, bought or sold to nefarious individuals. Or, you end up with your device infected with malware. Internet investigators point out that scammers have become more sophisticated since the Nigerian prince first surfaced. Misspellings, poor grammar and half-baked designs and logos were keys to phishing. No longer. Authorities warn Illinoisans, especially senior citizens, to be wary of government agencies contacting them via e-mail or text. Social Security Administration scams hoping for your nine-digit number have also been generated on social media. Another means to defeat scammers includes not opening links or attachments from suspicious sources, and blocking future messages. Never reply to the messages, even to say 'STOP.' That verifies an active phone number. Illinois consumers are not alone when it comes to the unpaid-toll scheme. The racket is happening across the U.S. But we may be residents of one of the most targeted states. The FTC says such complaints in Illinois last year were higher than the U.S. average of 1,215 per 100,000 residents. Illinois registered 1,470 per 100,000 residents. Overall, Americans lost 25% more money last year to fraudsters than in 2023. Con artists must think I'm an easy mark because a recent e-mail wondered: 'Are you open to an opportunity where you can earn daily incomes from the comfort of your home while doing your daily activities? Kindly let me know if interested so I can provide you with further details.' That get-rich-quick offer is also likely a scam, according to the Attorney General's Office. I would be required to buy upfront address lists or software to do the 'work.' The list of fraudulent online practices has grown as we have delved deeper into social media. Among them, pyramid schemes, membership fee fakes, credit repair cons, dubious health offers, fictitious diploma schools and illegitimate gaming services. Even selling puppies. In January, Raoul's office charged a Round Lake man with multiple felonies for allegedly orchestrating an internet scam that advertised puppies for sale to lure victims. People tried to buy what they thought would be their furry friends through online ads. After sending payments through a money transfer the would-be buyers failed to see their pets and were unable to get their money back. The suspect, according to the Attorney General's Office, used falsified identification and forged a signature to collect the money. He was charged with one count of theft, wire fraud, burglary and forgery. Hycenth received two years' probation after pleading guilty to one count of theft in return for the other charges being dropped. Like romance scams, pet lovers can also be taken advantage of online by those who want to separate them from their hard-earned cash. If you think you've been a victim of an online scheme, smishing or phishing, report it to the Attorney General's Consumer Fraud Hotline in Chicago at 1-800-386-5438.
Yahoo
24-02-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Westchester, Rockland drivers: Recertify for Cuomo Bridge discount or you'll lose it
If you live in Rockland or Westchester County and qualify for a resident discount to cross the Gov. Mario M. Cuomo Bridge, E-ZPass would like to hear from you. Letters went out this month to nearly 60,000 E-ZPass customers telling them they'll need to update their information to keep paying the discounted $5.40 to cross the bridge. Some 235,000 residents of the two counties receive the discount, which is $1.35 less than what New York E-ZPass customers pay. About three-quarters of those customers have already qualified by providing the necessary information and have been automatically renewed, according to the New York State Thruway Authority, which operates the bridge. To keep the discount, the customer's E-ZPass account address must be in Westchester or Rockland and the license plate associated with each E-ZPass tag must be registered in one of the two counties. The letters include instructions on how to complete the process. Customers have 30 days to get in touch with E-ZPass' customer service center by phone, mail or online through Suspensions: NY Thruway targeting serial toll evaders after $70M loss. Inside the plan to force payment Letters were also sent to customers who receive a resident discount to use the Grand Island Bridge in Western New York. Grand Island residents pay 9 cents to cross their bridge, while others pay a $1 toll. Recertification began in September for the roughly 12,000 accounts with a resident discount. 'We understand the importance of these discount programs for lower Hudson Valley residents and our Grand Island residents,' said Thruway Authority spokeswoman Jennifer Givner. 'This due diligence protects customers who are eligible for the discounts. This is also part of our efforts to collect every toll dollar owed to us.' Tolls: Wanna trick your way out of paying tolls on NY highways? It could cost you big fines The Cuomo Bridge's resident discount program began in January 2021. Recertification will now take place every two years. If residents no longer qualify for the discount, no further action is needed. Thomas C. Zambito covers energy, transportation and economic growth for the USA Today Network's New York State team. He's won dozens of state and national writing awards from the Associated Press, Investigative Reporters and Editors, the Deadline Club and others during a decades-long career that's included stops at the New York Daily News, The Star-Ledger of Newark and The Record of Hackensack. He can be reached at tzambito@ This article originally appeared on Rockland/Westchester Journal News: Westchester, Rockland Cuomo Bridge drivers: How to keep your discount
