A sophisticated scam has taken hold across the United States, prompting the FBI to issue an urgent warning over a widespread phishing campaign disguised as toll payment requests. The so-called 'E-ZPass scam' involves fraudulent text messages sent to mobile phone users, claiming they owe money for unpaid tolls. Victims who click the embedded links risk having their personal and financial data stolen.
According to Forbes, the scam is being driven by Chinese cybercrime groups using SMS phishing tactics, or 'smishing'. Messages claim the recipient owes as little as USD 6.99 (GBP 5.50) in outstanding tolls, then direct them to fake websites mimicking legitimate toll services such as E-ZPass. The FBI is now urging recipients to delete these messages immediately and not to interact with the links under any circumstance.
