NORFOLK, Va. — Scammers are getting more clever, because we’ve heard about their schemes through the use of credit cards, gift cards and even the mail—well now, they can target you by sending fake texts about owed toll payments.
“I’ve heard of like scams with like shopping websites and stuff like that but this is a first,” said Shawana Ward. “ I don’t know if this is just like people getting clever but this is new.”
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Shawana Ward recently received a text. In the message, it said that her car had an unpaid toll and she needed to settle it—she could only pay by clicking the attached link.
Ward told News 3 the website itself looked legit.
“Normally you can kinda tell… Cause it doesn’t look like a fraud at all,” explained Ward. “I literally clicked on the button and I was getting ready to put my pay info in—and I was like wait, my car has my dad’s name and my name, so if this is real [ I ] feel like he would have also gotten some type of notification and he hadn’t.”
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VDOT says they are aware of this toll text messaging scam
“VDOT is aware of a fraudulent text message scam, also known as smishing, that is sending requests of outstanding toll charges. Should anyone receive an unsolicited text message suggesting it is from E-ZPass Virginia or a specific toll facility, they should not click on the link.”
They also noted that some tolls services like E-ZPass will offer the option for customers to have text alerts about balances and insufficient funds, but they won't include any links.
Ward suggests taking an extra second to think before acting in situations like these. She said having that second thought probably saved her a lot of trouble in the long run, she hopes her advice can save someone else too.
