Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission warns of unpaid toll scams

The Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission is warning motorists that texts claiming to be from “Pennsylvania Turnpike Toll Services” are actually scammers trying to steal their personal financial information, writes Erin McCarthy for The Philadelphia Inquirer.

The commission published information about the latest scam on Saturday, and more than 700 people have since reported receiving the fake text messages, spokeswoman Marissa Orbanek said, nearly doubling the number of reports in April, when the scan first made the rounds.

According to Orbanek, scammers are targeting random phone numbers from Pennsylvania and no customer data has been stolen.

The messages inform people of their unpaid Pennsylvania Turnpike tolls and warn them that the outstanding balance will increase if they do not pay immediately.

A screenshot of a scam text shared by the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission reads: “Our records indicate that your vehicle has an unpaid toll bill. To avoid an additional charge of $86.00, please settle your balance of $8.60.”

The message contains a link to where the person can make their payments.

Pennsylvania authorities advise recipients of these texts not to click on the link in the message.

Learn more about the Pennsylvania Turnpike toll fraud in The Philadelphia Inquirer.

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