The Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission (PTC) says a new smishing scam is being sent to random individuals, aiming to deceive them to share their personal financial information to settle outstanding toll amounts.
The texts purport to be from “Traffic Division of Philadelphia Municipal Court” and may include a fake QR code for payment and center on an unpaid toll violation, fine and court costs. An example of part of the scam text is below
People who receive an unsolicited text, email or similar message suggesting it is from the PA Turnpike or another toll agency should not click on the link. E-ZPass account holders and Toll by Plate customers can use approved safe methods to check their accounts such as the official PA Turnpike E-ZPass website or the PA Toll Pay app available from the Apple App Store, or Google Play store.
Those who receive a fraudulent text can file a complaint with the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center at ic3.gov. That is a site dedicated to sharing information on Internet crimes across law enforcement agencies.