Drivers in NYC are getting fake text alerts scamming them out of money — here’s why this 1 scheme works so well Americans lost $330 million to it in a single year

NYC drivers targeted in scam

In the case of the NYC E-ZPass scam, customers reported receiving texts beginning with names like "New York Toll Services" or "E-Z Pass,” which was then followed by a message stating they have an unpaid toll invoice for their vehicle and that excessive late fees will be incurred if they don’t pay the balance by a certain date.

A fake link is included to make the payment. But once people click on that link, Adam Scott Wandt points out, they get drawn further into the scam and then are sometimes asked to pay by credit card.

It’s from there the scammers were able to gain access to their victims’ banking and other personal information.

In his interview with Fox 5, Wandt, an associate professor at John Jay College of Criminal Justice, pointed out that considering how many companies have had data breaches in recent years, millions of consumers’ private information has landed in the wrong hands.

If you’ve received a scammy text message or email, the FTC recommends you report it as junk and delete it from your inbox. One of the best ways to avoid falling victim to a scam is to not engage in the first place.

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How to protect yourself

The New York customer service center managing toll collections told Fox 5 it was fully aware of the issue and is raising awareness of it through social media, emailing customers and media announcements.

They also reminded customers that they'll only get texts from them if they’ve signed up for alerts, and they’ll never ask for money or other personal information, like a credit card number, Social Security number or birth date.

SMS scams like this are certainly not new or unique to the U.S., which lost about $330 million to them in 2022. But what can you do to protect yourself from becoming a victim?

One way to tell whether texts are fake is the number they’re sent from, which is typically international. You’ll often then get a request to reply with “Y” to receive a link and an unofficial website.

Wandt believes it’s up to cellphone carriers to intercept fake texts, but without any existing policy in place around that, consumers need to protect themselves and should never click on any questionable links.

When in doubt, you can always contact the named company to ask about the message. They'll tell you if it was legit.

To help stop scam text messages, the Federal Trade Commission suggests reporting them. Forward any that you receive to 7726 (SPAM), to Apple iMessage or Google's Messages app for Android and to ReportFraud.ftc.gov.