Pennsylvania Turnpike E-Z customers warned about phishing scam

💲The PA Turnpike received reports Sunday about the scam

💲Do not click the link in the text

💲New York State issued a similar warning in February

The Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission issued a warning Sunday evening about a phishing scam fraudulently using its name in a text.

E-ZPass customers reported receiving a text from "PA Turnpike Toll Service" with an urgent message about taking care of an overdue balance that could result in a late fee if it is not immediately settled. The text includes a link for the recipient to click.

The Turnpike Commission urged customers not to click the link if they receive a text or email with a similar message. Customers who want to check their account status should go to the official PA Turnpike E-ZPass website or the PA Toll Pay app available from the Apple App Store, or Google Play store.

A similar scam in New York

New York State E-ZPass customers were warned in February about a similar scam, which is also called smishing. Those messages also included requests for date of birth, Social Security number or other personally identifiable information that a legit message would never request.

The FCC suggests things you can do to avoid being a victim of a smishing attempt:

• Never click links, reply to text messages or call numbers you don't recognize.
• Do not respond, even if the message requests that you "text STOP" to end messages.
• Delete all suspicious texts.
• Make sure your smart device OS and security apps are updated to the latest version.
• Consider installing anti-malware software on your device for added security.
• Protect any sensitive personal information - bank accounts, health records, social media accounts, etc. - by using multi-factor authentication to access it.

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