RICHMOND, Va. — The Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) warns the public to be aware of scam text messages that claim people owe money for unpaid traffic tolls.
The FBI issued a warning about the scam in multiple states. People nationwide have been sending complaints about receiving fraud texts claiming they owe money for tolls with a link to pay. The text message scam or "smishing" has happened to more than 2000 people according to the agency.
E-ZPass customers are not the only people targeted in the scam.
Chuck Steenburgh said a text message from a random number came to his wife's phone late Tuesday evening. The message came from a number with a 306 area code and said "to avoid a late fee of $50 she should visit ncsunpasstollservices.com to settle the balance."
Steenburgh said he'd gone to North Carolina a handful of times and never used a toll road when he did. Combine that with the suspicious link, he knew this might be a scam.
"I googled North Carolina Sunpass and the website came up with a different link so I said 'okay that link is not going to the truth, the real North Carolina tolls site,"' Steenburgh said.
In a statement, The NC Turnpike Authority said they are aware of an ongoing smishing scam impacting tolling agencies from across the country. Customers can verify an NC Quick Pass text in two ways:
- NC Quick Pass will never request payment by text
- All links associated with NC Quick Pass will include ncquickpass.com or secure.ncquickpass.com
SunPass, the toll company for Florida and Virginia Department of Transportation echoed similar messages when we reached out.
Scam prevention experts with the American Special Investigative Group say there are a few key tips to remember if you receive a text that may seem suspicious.
- Don't click on any links if it's an unknown text
- Don't provide information to suspicious links
-Don't make any payments and give away your financial information
-Implementing some form of antivirus or protection on all your devices is another way you can protect yourself and your information.
Anyone who receives a fraud scam text should contact the facility directly. E-ZPass holders can check their balance on the Tolls Roads in Virginia website and the E-ZPass website. Complaints about fraud text can be sent to the FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center.