Please be cautious if you've gotten this text.
The NYS Thruway Authority is warning people of a "text scam" being sent to people in The Capital Region.
The text that people are getting reads as follows -
“We have noticed an unpaid toll invoice for your vehicle To avoid an extra charge of $150.00, please settle your balance of $5.89 as soon as possible.”
The text also included a link that redirects people to a website that looks a lot like the "Tolls By Mail" on the NY website, however it is not the official website for you to pay your balance. This fake website is very hard to tell that it's a fake due to it being free of spelling mistakes however, there is an "S" missing in the URL. The official website to pay toll balances contains an "S" after the word "toll" so it would be TollsByMailNY.com.
The warning below is on the official Tolls By Mail website -
SCAM ALERT: SMiShing Scam – We have recently learned of a SMS text message scam being presented as an attempt to collect Tolls on behalf of “NY Toll Services”. Please be advised this is NOT an authorized communication from E-ZPass or the Toll Agencies associated with E-ZPass. We advise you NOT to access the website contained within the message if you should receive one. E-ZPass New York will never ask for a customer’s Date of Birth, Social Security Number, or other personally identifiable information. Real communications from E-ZPass New York will only refer customers to the following official websites: EZPassNY.com and TollsByMailNY.com. If you receive this fraudulent SMS and would like to file a complaint with the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center please visit, www.ic3.gov. This is a site dedicated to sharing information on Internet crimes across law enforcement agencies.
If you have received one of these text messages and would like to report it, you can do so by CLICKING HERE