RICHMOND, Va. — Have you recently received a text claiming you owe money for unpaid tolls? The Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) says this is a scam.
Also known as "smishing," scammers have been sending texts targeting drivers and requesting payments for outstanding toll charges. The FBI recently issue a warning about the scam, which has been occurring across the country and does not specifically target E-ZPass customers.
The FBI has been receiving complaints since March about people getting texts from scammers who claim to be representing toll road collection services. The link in the text message is created to impersonate a toll facility’s or collection service’s name, and phone numbers appear to change between states. By clicking the link, people could risk giving away sensitive data, including credit card information.
To date, VDOT says is it not aware of Virginia residents getting these type of "smishing" messages.
Officials say if anyone does receive an unsolicited text message suggesting it is from E-ZPass Virginia or a specific toll facility in Virginia, they should not click on the link. Instead, they should reach out directly to the appropriate facility to verify authenticity. E-ZPass account holders and toll customers can check their accounts and pay tolls by going to the Toll Roads in Virginia website and E-ZPass website. People may also contact customer service representatives for the appropriate facility to validate their toll balance along with upcoming or past due payments.
Those who believe they received a smishing text about tolls due can file a complaint with the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center at www.ic3.gov and include the phone number of the text message as well as the web link listed within the text.
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