E-Z Pass customers, beware! There’s a new phishing scam’s attempt at getting users to dish over money for “unpaid” tolls which is actually a virus that will infect your computer allowing outside access to intruders.
According to a CBS news station based out of Virginia, the scam has been reported across 14 states and comes in the form of an official-looking email that requires the recipient to visit a link that redirects them to a site that appears to be an E-Z Pass webpage.
“Anytime you see an email that has a cryptic string of numbers, or grammar that doesn’t seem like it flows right, misspellings, all signs of a phishing scam, just don’t go there,” AAA Mid-Atlantic spokeswoman Martha Meade told the television station.
Credit card information is required after clicking the link, but the real purpose of the email is for thieves to gain access to the victim’s computer by using a virus.
Consumer Affairs adds that even if you do owe money to a toll collection authority, those organizations do not collect via email. E-Z Pass users see the toll deducted from the bank account that the devices are attached to.
Motorists who do not use an E-Z Pass and failed to pay a toll will have their license plate photographed at that moment and a bill will be mailed to the address that the vehicle is registered at.
Readers who have received such an email are asked to visit the E-Z Pass website or call 1-877-762-7824.
