Thirtyseven4 EDR Security: Toll Road Texting Scam
When mapping directions to select the best route for a business trip, a child’s sports competition, a vacation, or any other road trip, there can be multiple considerations in making that route-decision: overall distance (length of time and mileage), preference between highways and side streets, or plotting a course around planned stops. Another probable factor for determining your travel path (if you are like me), may include whether or not there are toll roads.
A toll road is a road that drivers must pay to use. An example of a toll road in the State of Ohio (and one that I travel quite frequently), is the Ohio Turnpike, which is the primary corridor between Chicago and Pittsburgh. This is my local toll road, but toll roads exist in all States.
While tollways are typically established to assist in recovering the costs of maintenance and funding required for project infrastructure along the toll road (bridges, lane additions), most may find tolls and their process burdensome. Toll booths usually slow traffic flow and can be costly. Multiple States announced a 5% increase in fees this year and suggested incremental increases in fees continuing through 2028. It’s little wonder that many travelers chose to avoid directional routes that involve toll roads.
But with the latest developments in travel technology and efficiency, a mere slowdown at the tollbooth may not be our biggest concern when it comes to toll roads.
When going through a toll station, many times you can still pull a paper ticket when you enter and pay with cash or with credit card when you exit. And for frequent travelers, there is the planful option of purchasing an electronic tolling transponder for your car, which can be loaded with money to save time and money, as you “roll” through toll booths, and the transponder is scanned and your fee is paid without actually stopping.
Newer tolling locations require neither stopping for a paper ticket or owning a transporter device for payment, but rather have cameras strategically set up to record your license plate so that you can be billed at a later date, and the idea and logistics of the process are positive, however, scammers are capitalizing on this pay-as-you-go model and are now sending out well written text messages to auto owners via text messages that contain fraudulent websites to settle unpaid toll fees.
Text message scams are nothing new, as Americans lost an estimated that $330 million to text message scams last year, but toll-road-text-scams are new to the scammer-horizon and (thus), many unsuspecting travelers are having a head-on collision with this hacking scheme.
Other text messaging scams include Bogus package deliveries (masquerading as original from UPS, USPS, FedEx – click on a link to confirm or authorize delivery), fake gift claims (pretending to be retailers with a fraudulent link to redeem a gift or prize) and phishing scams (appearing from legitimate organizations to trick you into entering personal information).
If you receive a text claiming to be from a toll facility in the Unites States (https://www.fhwa.dot.gov/policyinformation/tollpage/page08.cfm), it is important to understand that these facilities do not request payment or collect unpaid tolls and/or toll violations from their customers by text. Customers may be billed by mail, and often have their own websites where payment can be securely processed.
Wisdom and knowledge can prevent an accident with toll-trolls. If we are wondering how to recognize a toll road text scam…read on for tips to keep us safe and on the right path.
Legitimate SMS marketing messages are usually sent from a 6-digit short code (like 556556), a 10-digit toll-free phone number (ex: 877-123-1234), or a local text-enabled business phone. If you receive a text message from an unidentified 11-digit number, the odds are high that it’s a scam. Additionally, text message scams typically will direct you to click a link directing you to a fraudulent website. Avoid clicking these links, rather visit the reputable site directly. Launching a malicious link can make your device susceptible to further hacking.
What should you do if you receive a toll road text scam?
The answer is simple: delete the text immediately. You can also get in contact with the associated tolling facility or the U.S. Department of Transportation, Federal Highway Administration in order to make them aware of the scam.
The cost of toll roads can take a, well, toll on us sometimes, but our proactive awareness and precaution regarding toll-hacking text messages can prevent a head-on collision with scammers.
Be safe out there on those roads and be safe on your devices too.
Trust us to protect you.
About Thirtyseven4 EDR Security:
Thirtyseven4 EDR Security exceeds cyber security insurance requirements and includes:
• Advanced EDR Capabilities
• A.I. based Ransomware Protection
• Next-Generation Malware Engine
• Automated Curative Response
• Advanced Next-Generation Anti-virus protection
• Automated/Monitored/Dynamic Endpoint Detection & Response (EDR) functionality
• A.I. based Ransomware Protection
• Next-Generation Malware Engine
• Automated Curative Response
• Removal of Current Antivirus Product
• Integrated Patch Management
• Anti-Keylogger modules
• Asset Management
• Firewall
• PC-Tuning
• Content Filtering
• Malware Detection & Removal
• Vulnerability Scanning
• Email Security
• Advanced Device Control
If you’re interested in receiving a non-obligation quote for Thirtyseven4 EDR Security, please complete the form located at:
https://www.thirtyseven4.com/get-a-quote/
We are grateful to be serving over 2,400 schools, businesses and non-rofits across the Nation and Thirtyseven4 EDR Security cares for our customers! We want the higher level of Security and Service for you and Thirtyseven4 EDR Security is it.
Thirtyseven4, LLC is dedicated to serving customers with a full palette of security solutions including AntiVirus, AntiMalware, Anti-Ransomware and Zero-Day Threat Protection.
