The FBI has issued a renewed warning concerning an increasing wave of fraudulent SMS claiming to come from American toll agencies. These scam messages, which require the payment of unpaid tolls, are part of a large -scale belief attack from China, according to cybersecurity experts
“Have you received a text suggesting that you may need unpaid tolls on your vehicle?” The FBI warned in an opinion this week, Forbes reported. “There is a good chance that it is a fraudster who is trying to get your personal information,” added the FBI.
According to the anti-phishing working group (APWG), these scams bomb the Americans with text messages that have us for toll road operators, including multi-state services like E-ZPASS. The texts of the scam often include an urgent language, putting pressure on the recipients to immediately settle the toll amounts supposed to avoid fines or legal consequences.
The Trend Micro cybersecurity company described the extent of these attacks as “the arrow out of control”. Aidan Holland of Censys explained that the goal of the crooks is not only to steal small payments. “They don’t care about the seven dollars,” he said. “They want your credit card number.”
Unlike typical phishing scams, which focus on individual users, these SMIRS attacks are described as infrastructural assaults. Frauders record tens of thousands of areas imitating state toll agencies and use automated systems to send fraudulent messages to a large number of telephone users on several states.
“The texts claim that the recipient owes money for unpaid tolls and contain an almost identical language,” noted the FBI. “The link provided in the text is created to usurp the identity of the name of the state toll service, and the telephone numbers seem to change between states.”
Dessays of the scam also frequently use high -level Chinese areas (TLD), such as TOP, .Ucyou and .xin – A known indicator of fraudulent activity. The APWG highlighted the current compliance problems with the .TOP register, which was cited for not having discussed abuse reports.
FBI experts and cybersecurity urged the public to delete these messages immediately and report them. Victims can report suspicious texts to IC3.GOV or APWG at APWG.org/sms to improve arc and blocking detection measures.
Norton Security has provided several tips to help Americans avoid falling in love with these scams:
1. Be skeptical about the opinions of unexpected toll violation – legitimate agencies generally send official invoices by mail, not by SMS.
2. Avoid clicking on suspect links – Always check the official website of the toll agency by manually entering your browser URL.
3. Check the unusual details of the sender – The deposits often use poorly spelled domain names or additional characters.
4. Never share sensitive information – Official toll agencies will not require social security numbers or complete details of the credit card by SMS.
For those who suspect that they were targeted, the experts asked them to take immediate measures, in particular by contesting fraudulent costs with their bank, by monitoring financial accounts for a suspicious activity and by modifying passwords if identification information has been entered on a scam website.
A growing threat
This increase in SMIRS attacks is not limited to toll payments. Cybercriminals use similar techniques to target cryptography investors, usurping the identity of exchanges like Binance to encourage victims to transfer funds. Australian federal police recently issued a warning concerning fraudsters who usurned representatives of Binance, encouraging users to believe that their accounts had been compromised.
The authorities underline that these scams evolve quickly and that an increased vigilance is necessary. “Schools do not discriminate,” warned the FBI. “They want money from anyone they can take from it.”
While SMIRS’s attacks continue to increase, officials urge individuals to be cautious, checking all unstople messages and remain informed of emerging scam tactics, Forbes reported.
