NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — The FBI is warning Americans about a wave of fraudulent text messages claiming to be from toll collection services like E-ZPass that are targeting phones nationwide.
These "smishing" scams send texts about unpaid toll balances, threatening serious consequences if recipients don't pay immediately.
Smishing combines SMS texting with phishing tactics, using fake messages designed to trick people into sending money or sharing personal information.
Scammers are specifically exploiting the recognizable E-ZPass brand to make their fraudulent messages appear more legitimate to potential victims.
Even some of the smartest people I know admitted to thinking twice about the toll scam text before doing the right thing and just ignoring it.
"You think about it, obviously, I mean when you look around you and you're like, 'Where are these toll roads they're talking about?' - no, that doesn't make any sense," said Levi Ismail of NewsChannel 5 Investigates.
There are clear indicators that these texts are fraudulent. First, Tennessee doesn't have toll roads. Second, most of the messages are coming from international phone numbers.
"Yep. This one is +63," said Huey Beres, a NewsChannel 5 producer.
Despite these warning signs, many Tennessee drivers, including several in our newsroom, received the toll scam text this month and were tempted.
Fortunately, when I asked my colleagues, most reacted like Beres and said, "I pretty much just shrugged it off. They come through all the time."
The timing of these scams could become more problematic with TDOT's upcoming Choice Lanes project, which will include optional toll lanes on I-24 southeast of Nashville.
According to a TDOT spokesperson, they only text subscribers and never request money through text messages.
"If you haven't engaged with this type of facility or project, you don't know how they're going to work, so there's always a question of is this how they're going to have me pay the user fee and the answer is more than likely no," said Rebekah Hammonds, Communications Officer for the Public Private Partnerships Division of the Tennessee Department of Transportation.
The FBI recommends several steps if you receive these scam texts:
- File a complaint with the IC3, www.ic3.gov, be sure to include:
_ The phone number from where the text originated.
- The website is listed within the text - Check any accounts you have with the toll service's legitimate website.
- Contact the toll service's customer service phone number.
- Delete any smishing texts received.
- If you clicked any link or provided your information, take efforts to secure your personal information and financial accounts. Dispute any unfamiliar charges.
While some may ignore these messages completely, tech scams cost Tennesseans more than $190 million last year, according to the FBI Annual Internet Crime Report released on Wednesday. Tennesseans 60 and older accounted for one-third of the losses last year, with this age group losing about $61 million to scammers.
Have you or someone you know fallen victim to a toll road text scam? Your story could help others avoid the same trap. Email Hannah.McDonald@NewsChannel5.com to share your experience and potentially be featured in our follow-up reporting.
This story was reported by Hannah McDonald and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
My friend and colleague Carrie Sharp had a lot of fun last week, on an adventure to a country more than three thousand miles away! She’s back now – sharing her Adventures in Iceland through stories, and incredible images of this remarkably beautiful and unique island nation (kudos to Chief Photographer Catherine Steward)! But did you know Nashville has something very important in common with Iceland? Tourism! Here, Carrie explains how a volcanic eruption decades ago helped save the country’s economy from collapse!
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