Turnpike Commission warns motorists of smishing scam

BEREA, Ohio (WKBN) – Just weeks after Ohio’s new digital tolling systems went live across the state, Ohio Turnpike officials are warning of a scam.

The Ohio Turnpike Infrastructure Commission has learned about a text message-based scam that is fraudulently claiming to represent tolling agencies from across the country.

The scammers are requesting payment for unpaid tolls.

The text messages are randomly being sent and not uniquely associated with an account or toll road.

Turnpike officials said that Ohio Turnpike E-ZPass does not request payments by text and that collection of unpaid tolls or violations does not occur by text message.

All links associated with Ohio Turnpike E-ZPass will include www.ezpassoh.com and http://ohioturnpike.org .

If you receive one of these text messages, contact the Federal Bureau of Investigation at http://ic3.gov . Be sure to include the phone number from where the text originated and the website link within the text.

The Federal Trade Commission offers tips on how to spot and avoid text message scams commonly called smishing.

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