‘Investigate before you get involved’: Scammers are impersonating road toll collection services through text

BATON ROUGE, La. (Louisiana First) — When it comes to impersonating road toll services, scammers are getting more creative by the day, using text messages and links to steal your money by any means necessary.

Carmen Million, with the Better Business Bureau, lays out the most common things to look out for.

“The most common one that we receive is somebody receives a message on their phone. They say that their license is expired or something on their vehicles expired,” Million said.

The scammers work by using a text messaging service posing as a tollway service. The message also includes a link, which is a total red flag.

“Most government agencies, DMV, IRS, whoever, don’t text. That’s your first warning. So, if you get a message from an agency like that, then you know that you should question it,” she went on to say.

If you have a Louisiana driver’s license, you are likely to be a target.

“Most people in Louisiana have a driver’s license. They’re going to deal with the DMV at some point in their life. So, they are easy targets,” said Million.

Million emphasizes that you don’t automatically respond to these messages instead, take a step back and investigate before your response.

“We just want consumers to be aware that they have a right to take a step back, take a deep breath and investigate before they respond to anything they receive on the phone, email, or what have you.”

Million states to always ask questions before getting into these types of situations and be very vigilant before taking that next step to have your money stolen from you.

“It doesn’t matter what your education is, what your background is. If the situation is right, you could be a potential victim. You have to be your first line of defense. Always investigate before you get involved with a company.”

If you have been scammed, you are urged to visit https://www.bbb.org/scamtracker.

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