Drivers warned over $150 unpaid toll charge that even confused traffic officials – red flag to note before paying

SCAMMERS are reportedly using an old scam to trip up potential victims.

Scammers are returning to their roots by utilizing their favorite method of telling unsuspecting victims that they owe money .

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Potential thieves are reportedly sending unsuspecting victims a text saying that they are from the New York Toll Service and there is an outstanding bill on your account, per NBC affiliate WHEC-TV .

According to the outlet, targeted victims will receive a text message that reads: “New York Toll Services: 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 message concludes with a link to the address tollbymailsny.com.

However, unlike previous scams where certain mistakes were obvious, this scam has even given officials pause.

According to WHEC-TV, the bogus website address is so similar to the real website that even a spokesperson for the Thruway Authority told them she had to do a double-take.

Should you need to make a payment to the Thruway Authority online, the official site is www.tollsbymailny.com – note how tolls is plural.

According to WHEC-TV, they have uncovered two other sites that have claimed to be the Thruway Authority.

The outlet lists them as: nytollservices.com, tollspayny.com.

As technology grows and expands even more into everyday life, so does the opportunity for you to be scammed out of thousands of dollars.

It was previously reported that many sites have begun issuing one-time passwords (OTP) to reduce scamming attempts.

However, many scammers have also tainted the security measure and have begun issuing false OTPs to access your sensitive information

Should you receive a surprise OTP code, users are advised to quickly change the password for that account, as hackers could be waiting to access the information stored there.

Apple recently went the extra mile and warned its iPhone users about the five red flags to look out for.

How to spot a fake parking ticket

Thieves sometimes go to great lengths to squeeze money from drivers

With parking ticket scams on the rise, it’s important to know how to tell the difference between a bogus ticket and a legitimate one.

Many parking enforcement agencies, like those employed by cities, will never ask people to pay for their tickets via apps like Venmo, PayPal, or Zelle.

A QR code should always make drivers cautious, as many times they lead to fake payment websites built by scammers to access banking or personal information.

It’s also wise to pay close attention to logos, as some scammers will even use fake logos close enough to a city’s official logo fooling those who don’t look closely.

Emails or text messages regarding parking citations should always be ignored, as most parking enforcement agencies will never use those mediums to collect a debt.

Other helpful tips for spotting false citations:

• Do some research on the lot you’re parking in, as signs are legally required to be posted to inform drivers on who is enforcing parking rules.
• Carefully examine the citation for any flaws – misspellings, incorrect logos, links, QR codes, etc.
• Evaluate the contact information on the ticket. Websites that belong to cities will always end in either .gov.
• Finally, pay with a card, as disputing an illegal charge is easier. Avoid mailing checks or cash to a suspect parking ticket.
• Look at a city’s ticketing database to double-check that you’ve been cited by an official.

Source: CBS affiliate WHNT

According to the retailer, many scammers will attempt to use fraudulent emails, misleading pop-ups and ads, calls or voicemails from people impersonating Apple employees, fake calendar invites, or even fake promotions.

“If you’re suspicious about an unexpected message, call, or request for personal information, such as your email address, phone number, password, security code, or money, it’s safer to presume that it’s a scam — contact that company directly if you need to,”  writes Apple.

The technology giant issued the list after one scammer initiated a scheme to steal Apple IDs.

According to the tech giants, the scam begins by sending its victims an SMS text saying that Apple is requesting to do something with the person’s iCloud.

The message further states that the user needs to click signin[.]authen-connexion[.]info/icloud to continue services.

However, the link will take the unsuspecting victim to a malicious website. The website prompts users to use a fake iCloud login screen, which sends everything to the scammer.

Apple suggests that if you believe that your information has been compromised, you should change the Apple ID password to your account as soon as you can.

If you have accidentally entered personal information or are on a fraudulent site, it is still recommended that you change your password.

The brand also recommends to enable two-factor authentication as an extra means of securing the account.

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