The PA Turnpike Commission (PTC) announced that a smishing scam is encouraging individuals to share their personal financial information to settle outstanding toll amounts.

Smishing is a type of phishing cybersecurity attack that uses deceptive text messages to trick recipients into providing personal information or clicking malicious links. The term “smishing” is a combination of “phishing” and “SMS” (Short Messaging Service). Scammers use smishing to perpetrate identity theft and fraud or even to spread different types of malware.

According to the PTC, the messages purport to be from “Pennsylvania Turnpike Toll Services” and include urgent requests to settle overdue balances.

Those who receive a fraudulent text can file a complaint with the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center at www.ic3.gov.

An example of a smishing scam:

More information about the scam can be found here.

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