FBI warns of toll road smishing texts stealing payment data

Scammers are texting people about a small unpaid toll, often around $12.51, threatening a $50 late fee and linking to a fake payment page. The FBI's IC3 logged over 2,000 complaints in about a month, and FTC data shows 16% of 2024 fraud attempts were text-based, costing consumers $470 million.

• FBI IC3 received over 2,000 complaints in about a month about fake toll texts
• Unit 42 traced one campaign to 194,000+ phishing addresses; tolls were the top impersonated category
• FTC: 16% of 2024 fraud attempts were text-based, costing consumers $470 million
• Many texts ask victims to reply "Y" to unlock the link on iPhones