CREEK COUNTY, Okla. — Phony toll bill scams are exploding, with cases up 600% in the first quarter of this year and seeing an incredible 98% spike in just one week in March, according to new data from Guardio's latest scam report.
Loretta Simmers from Creek County woke up to a text message trying to trick her into paying a bill she didn't owe.
“It was telling me that I was past due, she said.” Since she knew she didn't owe any unpaid tolls, she deleted the message thinking that would be the end of it. It wasn't. When the first message didn't get her to pay a bill she didn't owe, the scammer sent a new message claiming she owed even more and resorted to intimidation — threatening if she didn't pay, her license registration could be suspended, or she might be taken to court, and potentially affecting her credit.
These phony bills often use names or logos that look like real electronic toll collection methods.
The notices also often contain threats in an attempt to intimidate you into clicking on links designed to rip you off financially or gain access to your personal information.
In January,the Federal Trade Commissionstarted warnings about these schemes targeting both personal and financial information.
To protect yourself:
- Don’t click on any links in, or respond to, unexpected texts. Scammers want you to react quickly, but it’s best to stop and check it out.
- Verify to see if the bill is legit. Reach out to Pikepass or other toll agency using a phone number or website you know is real — Don't use contact info included with the text or email.
- Report and delete unwanted text messages. Use your phone’s “report junk” option to report unwanted texts to your messaging app or forward them to 7726 (SPAM).
If you’ve been a victim and have paid one of these phony bills or clicked on a link in one, report it to the FTC at reportfraud.ftc.gov.
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