Text message scam claims Ohio drivers have unpaid turnpike tolls

BEREA , Ohio (WJW) — Cunning cyber-criminals continue to find new and more devious ways to steal identities and plunder bank accounts.

The Ohio Turnpike Commission is warning travelers about a robo-text scam that targets anyone with a cell phone.

Potential victims of the fraud are receiving a text falsely claiming they have a turnpike toll that has not been paid and threatening to impose a substantial late fee if they do not quickly pay the toll online. The targets of the scam are directed to click on a bogus website that seeks their personal and financial information.

“The first point we want to make is the Ohio Turnpike and Infrastructure Commission does not send invoices to its customers via text,” said spokesperson Charles Cyrill.

Turnpike administrators first learned about the scam in April and attempted to keep their customers on high alert, especially E-ZPass users, who now account for 65% of the passenger car business on the toll road.

The commission is reminding customers that the turnpike sends all communications, including notices about unpaid tolls, through the U.S. Mail or email, and travelers should always make sure they are using the proper links for the turnpike.

“The only legitimate websites associated with the Ohio Turnpike and Infrastructure Commission are ezpassoh.com and ohioturnpike.org ,” Cyrill said.

Investigators said if you receive one of the robo-text messages seeking payment of unpaid tolls, you should delete the message “without” clicking on the link created by the scammers.

There is no word yet on how many people have fallen prey to the robo-scam, but we are told victims are being directed to call the FBI, which is attempting to identify those responsible for the fraud.

Ironically, for the next 60 days, turnpike users who have legitimate billing issues will not face any late fees. The turnpike commission concedes that the grace period is in response to a large number of complaints about wait times for customer service, after the turnpike started its new toll collection system in April.

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