Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel is warning residents of scam text messages asking for payment of overdue road toll balances in Florida. The messages contain a link that appears to be from SunPass, Florida’s tolling operator. The messages are fake, and SunPass doesn’t send them out.
“Scammers craft these messages with links designed to steal consumers’ personal and financial information,” Nessel said in the statement. The scam warns unsuspecting drivers that a $50 fine will be imposed if they don’t pay off the toll balance.
The text messages are a smishing scam. Smishing involves sending text messages to victims in the hopes of getting them to send money or click on suspicious links. According to the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center, government impersonation scams cost Americans over 60 just under $180 million in 2023.
Nessel’s office says consumers should watch out for unsolicited text messages, riddled with errors, and written to sound urgent. In addition, these messages can come from numbers with 10 or more digits. The department also warns of messages with shortened links, or messages that offer a prize or ask for sensitive information.
You can forward spam messages to 7726, a nationwide spam reporting effort. You can also message the state Consumer Protection Team.
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