New TOLL BILL email or IM SCAM!!!

[Boomerweps]

SCAM ALERT!
Got my second iPhone message in a month saying I had a toll payment overdue (threatening my drivers license, of course), not when or where. Only addressed to my email with no other identification items. My SIL got the same thing couple of days ago. It’s been over a year since my last toll road transit and I clearly remember paying it and can locate the receipt.
SCAM ALERT!

 

[Iwritecode]

I got several of those over the course of a couple of weeks sometime last year. I just ignored them.

In general, anytime you get any kind of message or email about owning money or having some sort of "unauthorized charge" on your credit card or paypal or whatever, it's always best practice to log in directly to the provider's website and check for yourself.

Never click a link in a message or email that you don't recognize.

 

[RobbieH]

I got that one too, amongst the many other fraudulent texts I receive per day.

 

[henrypretz]

I got a couple of those not long after crossing the Carquinez Bridge last month. I checked my account and sure enough they were bogus. The timing had me raising an eyebrow, but the legit charge came through not long after.

 

[wmtire]

I get those along with my UPS package being undeliverable.

 

[5picker]

Yep... been going around.
The PA Turnpike has issued Scam warnings across several media platforms, including the local news outlets about them.

 

[RobbieH]

I get those along with my UPS package being undeliverable.

Oh man, at my last employer I managed many infosec things, and one was our mail gateway. I blocked all of those, but as normal routine goes, anything that was blocked resulted in an email that went to the end user notifying them to contact the help desk (not me) to vet the email for release. Those UPS/FedEx notification emails would go out in big waves, and the help desk would be bombarded with people calling and saying "Yes, I need that", without even thinking about what it was.

Yesterday we had a big conference call planned, and (insert major phone company here) screwed up and killed the conference line without notifying us. Hundreds of people trying to get in, we had a big notification on the shared display that went out to all that were trying to call in, saying IN YELLOW HIGHLIGHT that we were having audio line issues. And what happened? Tons of people in the chat saying they can't dial in. I'm telling them in chat to read the screen, we know there are issues, but did they stop, of course not. I just told my boss in my one-on-one that I'm losing faith in humanity. I know you see it every day, I look forward to your next "Mondays in the Tire Shop" posts.

 

[* Boondocking *]

www.spamcop.net

This website is excellent for getting rid of spammers and scammers.
It sends the info directly to the webserver.

 

[Aussieguy]

anything that is demanding money be paid or asking you to supply important info

NEVER click the link in the email or text
open a broswer and manually find the company or office making demands

they are getting good at making the links almost identical
maybe on letter reversed or something

the fact that you clicked their link even if you don't pay them anything gives them valuable info...
they at a minimum know that you GOT and READ their message
you will get more ... if you click their links

 

[Haulin4fun]

I am really getting tired of the texts and emails, delete and block on my cell and send to spam and delete in emails. I updated my CC info on EZ Pass and I received three texts messages this past week about PA tolls not paid! It gets to be maddening at times.

 

[Mr. Dan]

I am really getting tired of the texts and emails, delete and block on my cell and send to spam and delete in emails. I updated my CC info on EZ Pass and I received three texts messages this past week about PA tolls not paid! It gets to be maddening at times.

I had 2 today and another a couple of days ago plus my wife got one today. Ours had nothing to do with our Texas toll account. Two were out of country phone numbers, one was a hokey Gmail email address. Another was from 1K miles away.

 

[Qwkynuf]

I had 2 today and another a couple of days ago plus my wife got one today. Ours had nothing to do with our Texas toll account. Two were out of country phone numbers, one was a hokey Gmail email address. Another was from 1K miles away.

I got one today that literally had heart emojis! Hearts! Telling me that my toll bill is past due....!

 

[AlaskaErik]

I just got that text the other day. Funny thing is, there are no toll roads in Alaska.

 

[Flybob]

I am really getting tired of the texts and emails, delete and block on my cell and send to spam and delete in emails. I updated my CC info on EZ Pass and I received three texts messages this past week about PA tolls not paid! It gets to be maddening at times.

You can thank AI and internet tracking. By consolidating bits and pieces of collected data they can determine your state and use that data send a text or email that seems legit. Internet scams depend on panic knee-jerk reactions to be successful.

 

[sailorsam20500]

I always look the actual mail address of the sender. Makes it pretty easy to figure out if it's fraudulent.

 

[FlaNative]

If you don't know or recognize the source, don't click on it or answer the call. If you don't recognize the phone number, don't answer. If they want you bad enough, they'll leave a message. If you do call or click on the email, they have you! There goes your data to some foreign country or scammer who will sell your data to another 'company' so they can exploit you. We get fraudulent emails from 'Amazon' asking us to 'review our account'. We called Amazon and they denied ever sending such an email. If you have doubts or concerns, only call the company that you actually deal with on their official phone number and clarify the issue. Search the web for their number first from their website. Many times they have a Contact Us email service you can get from them on their official website if it's hard to get their phone number. There are tons of crooks out there who make millions on scams.

 

[AlaskaErik]

I just got another toll road text scam today. These fools don't seem to realize we have no toll roads in Alaska.

 

[Haulin4fun]

I just got another toll road text scam today. These fools don't seem to realize we have no toll roads in Alaska.

I am still waiting for the 7 million to be deposited into my account that a guy needed to deposit out of his country!

 

[dalford]

Even the toll roads in Florida are flashing “Toll Scam Text”..lol I get them and so does my DW.

 

[HangDiver]

One way to reduce/eliminate those emails and text messages is to delete and block the sender from contacting you again. Yes, they do change phone numbers but over time I barely get any more scam emails/text messages.