Did you get a text about an unpaid toll? It’s a scam

PHOENIX (AZFamily) — Before you hit the road for spring break, there’s a scam you need to know about. Recently, there’s been an increase in scam text messages that appear to be about unpaid tolls.

Though there are no toll roads in Arizona, scammers are counting on the fact that many people travel to places with tolls.

Sometimes the messages are friendly. One example wished the driver’ smooth roads and a happy journey.’ Others are riddled with threats of hefty fines, late fees, and even the suspension of a license or registration.

“There’s a sense of urgency that you have to act now, or all these bad things are going to happen to you,” said Danni Santana, a cybersecurity editor at CNET.

Santana says phishing text messages are often seasonal.

“During the holiday season, you’ll get a lot of missing package [messages] or something’s wrong with your Amazon order, those kinds of messages,” Santana said. “This time of year, because people are thinking about taking more road trips or they took road trips to see family over the holidays, these messages are coming out.”

The goal of the scammer is to get your money, your personal information, or both.

“The link is dangerous. It can download malware to your phone. It can take you to a phony site where you put in your personal information, like your name, like your credit card information,” Santana said.

The Federal Trade Commission says to protect yourself, avoid clicking on links and never respond to messages from unknown senders. You can report the message as ‘junk’ to your phone carrier or forward it to 7726 (SPAM). Then, delete the text. If you have questions, look up the real toll agency and call directly to find out if you actually owe money.

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