FBI Warns of Toll Scams in Texas: Travelers Beware!

If you regularly take the tollway around the Dallas area especially, but really anywhere where toll roads are found in Texas, then it's important to know about these scams that are floating around. There has been a surge in Texas drivers receiving fraudulent texts, and the Texas Department of Transportation along with the FBI are spreading the word.

Texas Toll Tag Scams

FirstAlert7 provided the typical process that these scammers follow when fraudulently contacting unsuspecting drivers. Apparently, they use publicly available phone numbers to send out text messages to toll tag owners claiming they have unpaid fees.

The scammers then include the usual malicious link with an urgent message saying things like "please click this link to immediately pay" or "urgent action required!"

TxDOT notified the public that they will NOT send text messages regarding unpaid toll tag fees. Although they will send texts, emails, and phone calls to communicate other aspects of your toll tag, any unpaid balances will be not be mentioned via text, so you're good there.

Common forms of scams when it comes to toll tags in Texas involve "smishing", or scams that are conducted through texting rather than email or phone calls.

What is Smishing?

The funny-sounding word is actually a mixture of the common phishing attempts where scammers send malicious links through email, and SMS (short message service) texting. Combine those two terms and boom! Smishing.

Here's the catch, even if you receive a text message from an unrecognized number that you believe to be fraudulent that tells you to reply 'STOP' to quit receiving their messages, DON'T DO IT. The second you reply to the number, you are telling the scammers that your phone number is active since you just replied. This can then open the flood gates on future smishing attempts.