First, you will receive a supposed text from a toll agency indicating that you need unpaid tolls and that you must pay it immediately. It will take you to a page that will allow you to enter bank account information or credit card account. If you click on the link to pay, the crook could end up with other personal information such as the driving license number. Armed with financial account information and driving license number, crooks can not only steal your money, but also to steal your identity.
The FTC recommends that when you receive texts from someone you don’t know, never click on a single link. The crooks try to make you act emotionally and to respond quickly by doing certain threats. If you receive a demanding text that you pay a toll under the threat of suspending your driving license, you will probably make payment instead of taking the time to investigate the legitimacy of the text.
The last phishing scam is around unpaid false tolls. | Credit-FTC image
The FTC also suggests that you use the “unwanted report” option on your phone to report unwanted texts. Or, you can send them to 7726 (spam). Similar to what the FBI suggests, once you have checked and reported the unwanted text, delete it immediately. It should be noted that these warnings do not come from security analysts but from government agencies like the FBI and the FTC.
Although this is called a new scam by the government, it is simply another phishing scam since the text is written as if it came from a legitimate toll authority. The problem is that sometimes the objective does not remember if it has led to a particular state and decides to pay the amount requested because it seems to be the simplest solution. Don’t do this. The amount required may not be terribly high, but the ultimate goal of the crook is to obtain your bank or check information and clean your financial accounts.
