The Massachusetts Department of Transportation is warning residents about a texting scam that’s telling people they owe toll balances when they don’t.
Officials said the scam, which previously targeted drivers in New Hampshire and Rhode Island, has now spread to Massachusetts and is randomly choosing people who are “not uniquely associated with an account or usage of toll roads.” MassDot’s electronic tolling program, EZDriveMA, is now advising people to be careful when they receiving suspicious messages.
“The Massachusetts Department of Transportation was alerted that a text message-based scam, also known as smishing, is fraudulently claiming to represent tolling agencies from across the country,” EZDriveMA said in a press release. “Scammers are claiming to represent the tolling agency and requesting payment for unpaid tolls.”
According to the Boston Globe, MassDot confirmed that EZDriveMA doesn’t request payment by text. The department also notified drivers that EZDriveMA will only uses the agency’s official domain, www.EZDriveMA.com.
The scammers are telling customers that they have “excessive late fees” that amount to an unpaid balance of as much as $6.99. At least 2,000 complaints about the fraudulent texts have already been sent to the FBI.
The New Hampshire Department of Transportation also issued a warning after drivers in the state were targeted with a similar scam. The department urged people to only use the official NH Turnpike E-ZPass website or the NH E-ZPass mobile app.
“Customers receiving text messages claiming to be sent by ‘E-ZPass Toll Services’ that directs them to click a link to pay an outstanding toll balance to avoid a late fee should be aware that this message is fraudulent,” E-ZPass said in a statement, per the Boston Globe. “E-ZPass warns customers to delete the texts immediately and do not click on any links embedded in the text messages.”
People who receive the smishing text can forward the message to 7726 (SPAM). They can also file a complaint with the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center. MassDOT advises people to secure their financial and personal information if they already clicked on suspicious links. Customers can also dispute fraudulent charges through their bank.
