PA Turnpike: Text messages urging payment are phishing scams
Apr. 9—Text messages purporting to be from "Pa Turnpike Toll Services" urging recipients to make a payment are not from the Pennsylvania Turnpike, according to state officials.
Turnpike officials were made aware of the phishing scam Sunday afternoon. The messages urged recipients to make a payment or suffer late fees.
Similar scams have been reported by toll agencies across the country over the past several days, according to a PA Turnpike press release.
Rosanne Placey, manager of communications and marketing for the PA Turnpike, said the scam is a "random spray 'smishing' attack" that uses Pennsylvania area codes and randomly generated phone numbers. The scam is not tied to any data from the turnpike.
Some recipients of the texts may have never traveled on the PA Turnpike or interacted with the organization in any way, according to Placey.
"Customers who receive an unsolicited text, email, or similar message suggesting it is from E-ZPass or another toll agency should not click on the link," the PA Turnpike said in the release. "E-ZPass account holders 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 www.ic3.gov. The FBI site is dedicated to sharing information on internet crimes across law enforcement agencies, according to the PA Turnpike press release.
