Scammers are finding more and more ways to target ordinary people, and one of their tactics is through “phishing” text messages on mobile phones. Victims across Southern California, the Midwest, and the East Coast have received fraudulent text messages claiming to be about “toll road fees”.
California Attorney General Robert Bonta issued a warning on January 2 this year, stating that text message fraud activities are significantly increasing, falsely claiming that consumers owe fees for the FasTrak express lane system and requesting drivers to click on a link to pay online. FasTrak is California’s electronic toll collection system for bridges and roads, allowing drivers to pay tolls electronically without stopping at toll booths. California has a total of seven similar electronic toll collection systems for road fees.
Orange County in Southern California uses the “Toll Roads” electronic toll system. In February, many residents continued to receive fake text messages about unpaid “Toll Roads” fees, stating that there is an outstanding fee and urging payment within 12 hours to avoid penalties being reported to the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV).
The messages then instruct recipients to reply with “Y” to copy and open the payment link, which actually directs them to a website operated by scammers. By following the request to “pay”, scammers not only deceive victims into sending money but also obtain their personal information. Some messages even include specific dates and locations where the supposed fees were incurred on the toll roads.
For example, Orange County has four toll roads: 73, 133, 241, and 261, which connect to the 91 Express Lanes (partially toll roads in Orange County), Interstate 5, Interstate 405, and various communities in Orange County. It’s easy for unfamiliar drivers to mistakenly end up on toll roads, especially if they don’t have an automatic payment account and receive such alarming text messages, which scammers take advantage of.
Notices posted at Toll Roads payment booths in Irvine warn against scams and provide a reporting website. Staff members emphasized that they do not send text messages to drivers without Toll Roads accounts, nor do they threaten to suspend driver’s licenses.
The notices state that Toll Roads users can check their accounts online for any outstanding fees. Users can also report online and text message scams to the Internet Crime Complaint Center (www.ic3.gov) to help prevent others from falling victim.
The key is to ignore fraudulent text messages. Officer Liu in Irvine previously advised that the best way to avoid falling for scams is to not respond, not click on links, not call the numbers provided by scammers, and not answer calls from unidentified sources. Engaging with scammers can result in them extracting more sensitive information from you.
Although scam websites may appear similar to legitimate ones, it’s important not to trust them easily. Fraudulent websites may have slightly different URLs but will ask for personal details like name, address, phone number, payment card information, expiration date, and CVV security code, making it look like a legitimate payment site. Once scammers obtain your confidential information, they may repeatedly charge excessive late fees to drain your bank account or sell your information.
Legitimate toll agencies typically inform users of violations via mail and only court authorities can levy fines or suspend licenses for unpaid tolls; scammers cannot report to the DMV and demand penalties against you.
If you realize you’ve been scammed and made a payment, immediately contact your bank to attempt to recover and reduce losses. Consider changing your accounts and passwords, setting up account alerts for each transaction, reporting fraud activities and texts, registering for identity theft protection, discussing text scam situations with family and friends.
You can file complaints with the California Attorney General’s Office, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and the Federal Trade Commission; be sure to provide them with the phone numbers and websites listed in the messages.
To report text message scams to California Attorney General Bonta, visit:
oag.ca.gov/contact/general-contact-form
You can visit the websites of the seven toll agencies in California, listed as follows:
1. The Toll Roads:
https://thetollroads.com/
2. Bay Area FasTrak:
https://bayareafastrak.org/
3. Metro ExpressLanes:
4. 91 Express Lanes:
https://91expresslanes.com/
5. 405 Express Lanes:
https://405expresslanes.com/
6. Riverside Express:
https://riversideexpress.com/
7. SANDAG (San Diego Association of Governments):
https://www.sandag.org/fastrak/