A toll booth at the Fort McHenry Tunnel in a 2020 photo. State and federal officials are warning about a scam that claims its victims owe toll fees. Getty Images photo by Patrick Smith.
State and federal officials are urging people to be on guard against a text-alert scam that claims people have unpaid toll fees and tries to get them to pay.
The FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) said it has received more than 2,000 complaints since early March from people in three states, including Maryland, who said they received texts claiming “an outstanding toll amount of $12.51 on your record” and directing them to a website to pay and avoid a $50 fine.
The FBI and the Maryland Attorney General’s Office said it’s a scam, and that people who receive such texts should not click on any links in the message, should not pay any money or turn over any personal information to such an inquiry.
The attorney general said Maryland motorists can check the legitimate status of their Maryland E-Z Pass account at driveezmd.com or by calling the E-ZPass customer service number is 1-888-321-6824. They can also file a complaint with the IC3 at www.ic3.gov that should include the phone number that sent the text and the website listed in it.
Those who have paid any amount of money or revealed any personal information to the scammer should try to stop payment; contact the attorney general’s Identity Theft Unit to learn how to protect themselves in case the scammers try to use their personal information; and report the theft to local police, to the Office of the Attorney General or the Federal Trade Commission .
The post State, federal officials warn of scam involving toll road fees appeared first on Maryland Matters .
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