E-ZPass scam: How to protect yourself from "smishing" and other types of fraud

Texting scams have become commonplace for anybody who has a phone, but a recent nationwide scam involving E-ZPass has caught the country's attention. The texts employ the practice of "smishing," which is when scammers impersonate a reputable company or government agency to trick people into giving up their personal information or money via use of fraudulent links and/or phone numbers.

What is E-ZPass?

The E‑ZPass Group is comprised of legitimate toll entities stretching across 20 states. The group operates the E‑ZPass electronic toll collection program, which is not unlike the PikePass system used by the Oklahoma Turnpike Authority (OTA).

Due to the national scale of the toll collection agency, numbers across the United States were targeted because of the number of toll systems employed by each state.

E-ZPass does not own or operate any of the road toll systems in Oklahoma.

What do the scam texts look like?

Here are some examples of the texts in question, with the malicious links removed:

Formal Notice Regarding Your E-ZPass Account Balance** This is an official notice regarding an unpaid toll balance on your E-ZPass account. To avoid late fees, please make your payment within the next 24 hours. If payment is not received within the specified time frame, the system will automatically report this to the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV). Link: (removed) To proceed, reply with "Y" to exit this text message, reopen the link to activate it, or copy and paste the link into your browser to complete the payment.

or

E-ZPass – Toll Violation Notice: This is an official notice regarding an outstanding toll balance on your E-ZPass account. To avoid incurring additional late fees, please ensure payment is made within the next 12 hours. Failure to make payment within this period may result in increased charges and potential reporting to the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV). [Payment Link] (removed) (Please reply with "Y", exit the SMS, and reopen it to activate the link, or copy and paste the link into your browser to complete the payment.) Your prompt attention to this matter is appreciated. Thank you for using E-ZPass.

How do I protect myself from these scams?

Oklahomans have previously been targeted by smishing tactics, where scammers impersonated the OTA in order to trick the victims into clicking links, scanning QR codes, or calling fraudulent numbers that are often overseas.

The OTA has previously advised people to look for incorrect names or URLs in messages, to report suspicious texts as spam on their phones, and to never engage with unknown links or numbers.

If it is believed that the contents of the message in question may be legitimate, the OTA has recommended recipients to visit an agency's official website to obtain information or legitimate contact details.

Related: Oklahoma Turnpike Authority warns of new round of toll scam texts

How much will these scams cost?

Imposter scams were the second most common form of scam in the U.S. in 2023, cumulatively costing victims nearly $3 billion for the year. Investment scams ranked first, at nearly $5 billion in losses.

As a rule of thumb, recipients of suspicious text messages should exercise caution regarding the contents and ignore any links, QR codes, or phone numbers until that contact information can be verified on official websites.

If you believe you have been targeted, you can file a complaint with the FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center.