FBI Warns Android & IPhone Smartphone Users To Delete Text Messages Containing Road Toll Scam
Written by djfrosty on February 10, 2025
Source: Kenstocker / Getty / FBI
Does anyone else feel phone scams have been out of control since Donald Trump got back into office? Anyway, the FBI, or what’s left of them, is now warning iPhone and Android users about a scam that could make your life hell if you fall for it.
The FBI warned about a scam involving text messages demanding recipients pay unpaid road tolls. According to Forbes, anyone who receives such messages should delete them immediately.
“Scammers are pretending to be tolling agencies from coast to coast and sending texts demanding money,” the FTC said, as reported by Forbes. “Not only is the scammer trying to steal your money, but if you click the link, they could get your personal info (like your driver’s license number) — and even steal your identity.”
The devious texts contain a dollar amount and a link to pay the fake fine, which comes from an unknown individual pretending to be a local agency.
How Long Has This Been Going On?
According to Forbes, people from Massachusetts, California, North and South Carolina, Illinois, Colorado, Florida, and several other states have claimed they received the texts in January. The FBI claims reports about the scam started surfacing around March 2024, and thousands of people have since “reported smishing texts representing road toll collection services.”
Those texts “claim the recipient owes money for unpaid tolls and contain almost identical language.”
“The ‘outstanding toll amount’ is similar… However, the link provided within the text is created to impersonate the state’s toll service name, and phone numbers appear to change between states,” the FBI said.
The city of Great Falls, Montana, recently posted on X, formerly Twitter, to warn residents about the scam.
https://x.com/City_GreatFalls/status/1887648646348611829
We have a feeling things are only going to get worse as Trump continues to gut everything in the name of “government efficiency.”