Fraudulent and impersonated Texas toll road services are being used in text message phishing scams

(Special to The Dallas Examiner) – Recently, reports have been streaming into BBB Scam Tracker from Texas residents regarding suspicious text messages claiming the recipient has an unpaid toll road balance. While many people who receive the text message can quickly identify it as fraudulent because they have not driven on a toll road, others who regularly use this service are being tricked into providing sensitive information or paying a fee. The FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center – known as IC3, TxTag and other toll road services have issued warnings regarding the increase in this phishing scam.

In most reports to BBB, residents describe receiving a text message that claims an unpaid balance of $7.79 must be paid or a $150 fine would be applied to their account. The message includes a link to an unrecognized website that appears to be a payment portal for the outstanding bill.

How to avoid text message phishing scams

• Verify your outstanding toll balance. If you’ve driven on a toll road recently and expect a bill, check your account on the service’s official website or by contacting them through their customer service line. Avoid following links provided in a text message, calling a phone number provided in the text message, or calling the phone number the text originated from.
• Check the company’s contact policies. Verify how the toll road service will contact customers regarding outstanding balances, what information they will ask for, and what email addresses or phone numbers are associated with their representatives. Most of this information you can check online, but you can also call their customer service line if you have any questions.
• Don’t give out your personal information. Phishing scams often ask you to provide personal information like your birth date, Social Security number, and more. Never give out this information unless you are certain you’re interacting with a legitimate person or agency you can trust. Once it is provided, there is no way of knowing who is collecting it and the risk of your identity being compromised is increased.
• Block the number and delete the message. Do not engage with the scammer if you think you received a fake text message. Instead, block the phone number and delete the text message.
• If you receive a text message impersonating a road toll collection service, report it. You can file a report with BBB Scam Tracker to help warn others about this new scam. In addition, file a report with the FBI IC3 at ic3.gov.

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