Those texts threatening legal action for unpaid OH Turnpike tolls? Ignore it. Here’s why
No, you don’t owe any toll fees and you won’t face penalties or legal action if you fail to pay them, but that won’t stop the crooks from flooding your inbox.
A wave of scam texts masquerading as Ohio Turnpike toll notifications has been plaguing Ohio phone owners lately, and it’s become a dangerous nuisance to texters everywhere.
This clever new round of scam attempts is called “smishing,” which combines “SMS” and “phishing,” and has become a national bummer, plaguing states from Ohio all the way to California.
Ohio, beware
Most phone-owners catch on fairly quickly, but officials advise not to click the link and to warn your less tech-savvy loved ones about the risk.
The Ohio Turnpike Commission published an account safety alert on their website reminding residents, “The Ohio Turnpike does NOT send text messages requesting payment for unpaid tolls. The Ohio Turnpike will only notify you of an unpaid toll through the U.S. Mail.”
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) said these smishing scams are not only “trying to steal your money, but if you click the link, they could get your personal info (like your driver’s license number) — and even steal your identity.”
According to the FTC, these scams are part of a larger trend, and they encourage Ohio residents to report incidents to the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3). Include details like the sender’s phone number and the fraudulent website link.
What should you do about these texts?
Most importantly, resist the urge to click any links.
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In addition to reporting the texts to the FBI complaint center, you can also report them to your phone service carrier using the “report junk” feature or forward them to 7726 (SPAM).
There’s not much more to do beyond that, besides delete the text and move on.
How can you help the less tech savvy?
Putting your number on the Do Not Call list does not effectively help with scam texts because scammers tend to ignore those lists. The scammers are using more sophisticated technology these days, using “spoofed” numbers that transmit fraudulent numbers to your caller ID.
The evolution of these kinds of hoaxes are particularly dangerous to senior citizens who may not have as much experience with this kind of deceit.
There are a few techniques you can try to educate them:
Discuss common scams: Stay informed about the kinds of scams that affect them most like Medicare scams, IRS impersonation and grandparent scams.
Install call blocking apps: Some popular ones to investigate are Ooma Premier, Hiya, Robokiller and Truecaller.
Encourage call screening: Suggest they only answer calls they know and let the rest go to voicemail.
Protect personal information: Emphasize never sharing sensitive data over the phone.
Have you or someone you know fallen victim to a scam or do you have a special technique you use to combat these kinds of plots? Email me at srose@ledger-enquirer.com or find me on Instagram.
