New York (WRGB) — Dozens of New York City residents said they received text messages this morning saying they would be charged $150 if they didn’t pay their toll bill. As it turns out, it was a scam.
If you glance at a text message too quickly, you might miss a letter from a sender in the wrong place. For those residents, this message felt very real, reading:
“The New York Toll Road Service has identified an outstanding toll bill for your vehicle. Please pay the remaining balance of $5.89 as soon as possible at toll by mails at ny dot com to avoid an additional $150 charge.”
Resident Kevin Hayward received the text message this morning, quickly realized it was a scam and contacted CBS 6.
“Firstly, I checked my EasyPass website to see if I had any obligations and they said I didn’t,” said Kevin Hayward, a Rotterdam resident.
We also received numerous comments on Facebook from viewers who said they received text messages, some multiple times, with some receiving them as early as 3:30am on Saturday morning.
The New York State Thrust Administration sent the following statement to CBS 6 on Saturday:
“This is a known smishing scam that Thruway has been messaging on its social media platforms and website for several months. https://www.thruway.ny.gov/index.shtmlThere is a link to a message about this incident and how to report it to the FBI.”
This was discovered as a scam link because it directed recipients to an email toll service website that does not have an “s” in the URL. The real website does have an “s” after the word “toll”.
“Then don’t do it, check it, verify it, and if you’re not sure, just don’t do it,” Hoyard said.
If you notice a scam, do not click on the link. FBI Internet Crime Complaint Center And block the number.
