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Online scams have become a trend in recent years. Across the world, millions of people face serious consequences from these scams, and in recent months, a sudden rise in ‘smishing’ scams has targeted motorists, especially in the United States. In this scam, the victims get messages from toll collection agencies like E-ZPass, and once they open links, they become victims of this scam that steals personal and financial information. These scams blend SMS and phishing tactics and have prompted warnings from federal and state authorities.
The E-ZPass scam involves text messages that falsely claim that recipients have unpaid tolls. Often these messages contain urgent language like ‘outstanding toll amount’ to make it look real. Aside from that, these fraud messages provide mimicked official links to the actual websites. Therefore, it looks unexpectedly real, and individuals who don't suspect anything and click on these links will fall victim to this fraud. This sophisticated scam links to fraudulent websites designed to mimic official toll payment portals. Once they provide personal information, they will become the victims of financial loss and identity theft.
Reports reveal that this fraud was executed by a sophisticated group of Chinese-speaking scammers. These criminals sell cybercrime kits on Telegram, designed to steal credit card details and personal information. As per the current news, authorities in states like New York, Virginia, Maryland, and Indiana have issued warnings against this scam. Simultaneously, the FBI has already logged over 60,000 reports of this scam. Even after this widespread spread of the scam, the source is unidentified.
Cybercriminals who are executing this scam have been using sophisticated techniques to deceive recipients. They carefully replicate official branding, use threatening language to make it look like an urgent thing, and sometimes even provide false phone numbers to appear legitimate. This enhanced level of detail makes it almost impossible for motorists to identify whether it's genuine or not.
These scams are increasing every day; therefore, it is now necessary to figure out ways to prevent these smishing scams. To prevent these scams, it’s crucial to stay aware of the tolls paid and become sceptical of unsolicited messages. Multiple state authorities have already advised motorists not to click on unknown links or respond to unexpected texts that claim unpaid tolls or other urgent matters. One must, instead, verify the legitimacy of these claims by contacting the agency before clicking on any link.
Aside from that, trying to keep mobile devices updated with the latest security patches may also help protect against potential threats. One can even enable two-factor authentication to make it more challenging for scammers to get personal information easily.
The rapid rise of the E-ZPass smishing scams highlights the evolving tactics of cybercriminals and the importance of public awareness. Only by staying informed and exercising caution not to click on random links can one protect their personal data from getting leaked and save financial losses.
