Beware of unpaid toll text message scam
DETROIT (FOX 2) - A new text message scam is targeting drivers with claims that they have unpaid tolls that they need to pay soon or they'll be fined.
According to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), scam texts are being sent to people across the country.
The backstory:
These text messages claim that the recipient has unpaid tolls that need to be paid quickly to avoid the fine. These texts have a warning about the alleged bill, which sometimes includes a dollar amount owed, and a link to pay the tolls.
However, the link is a phishing scam, and clicking it brings you to a website that wants your credit card information and other personal info, like your driver's license number.
If you haven't traveled outside of Michigan recently, it may be easy to peg a text about tolls as a scam. However, if you recently traveled to a state with toll roads, it can be trickier to determine if such a message is real.
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What you can do:
If you receive a text claiming you have unpaid tolls, do not click the link in the message. Instead, contact the state's tolling agency to determine if the message is legitimate. Be sure that you go to the state's tolling agency website to find the phone number.
Then, report the scam text by using your phone's "report junk" option or forward it to 7726 (SPAM).