How to spot phishing and smishing scams on EZDriveMass and EZ Pass

QUINCY – At 9:27 a.m. Sunday, it was my turn to receive the latest fraudulent “smishing” scam when a text message appeared on my iPhone.

It told me I owed money for unpaid tolls on state highways. I drive a lot, sometimes on toll roads, so I might have found it believable, but I had been warned about this one.

A colleague, Scott Bowdridge from Walpole, had warned me three days earlier. I was just a little late to the obvious robo-messaging circuit. According to Quincy-based digital coach Grace Buscher, this EZDriveMass scam has been particularly active here since early January. It was first reported by the state in Massachusetts last June.

The text messages allegedly come from EZDriveMA and state that the recipient owes money for EZ Pass tolls. In reality, it is a “smishing” scam, as the Massachusetts Department of Transportation has warned.

Last Thursday, Scott emailed me: “I received a text message from EzDriveMA this morning saying I had an unpaid toll that would result in a hefty fine if not paid today. I ignored it because it should have been EZPass. Both.” My mother and I have received a copy in the mail a few times in the last few weeks.”

Why is this scam called “smishing”?

The term “smishing” is a combination of “SMS” (Short Message Service) and “phishing”. Smishing is a form of phishing, the fraudulent practice of sending messages under the guise of a legitimate source to trick individuals into disclosing personal and/or financial information such as Social Security numbers, credit and debit card numbers, and account passwords.

This is how the EZDrive toll program works

EZDrive is Massachusetts’ all-electronic tolling program. It includes E-ZPassMA and Pay By Plate MA. The program operates without toll booths on the Mass Turnpike (I-90), the Tobin Memorial Bridge and the Sumner, Callahan and Ted Williams tunnels. There is a smishing warning on his website.

I checked the Massachusetts EZDrive website.

It states that the Massachusetts Department of Transportation has been notified that a text message-based scam, also known as smishing, is fraudulently claiming to represent toll plazas across the country, not just in Massachusetts. “The fraudsters pretend to represent the toll booth and demand payment of unpaid tolls.”

The phone numbers targeted by these spoofed text messages “appear to be chosen at random and are not clearly linked to an account or toll road use.” Just because you receive a fraudulent text message doesn’t mean there’s evidence to support it. that you used a specific toll road.

I followed the state’s advice.

Customers who receive an unsolicited text message, email or similar message that appears to be from EZDriveMA or another toll plaza should not click on the link.

The state provides advice on how to determine whether an EZDriveMA text message is valid.

EZDriveMA will never ask for payment via SMS

This particular smishing scam is part of a series of smishing scams known to the FBI. The FBI has recommended that people who receive fraudulent messages do the following:

What to do if you receive a fraudulent message?

File a complaint with the Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) and ensure the following is included:
- The phone number the text came from.
- The website listed in the text
Verify your EZDrive account on the toll service’s legitimate website.
Contact the Toll Service customer service number 877-627-7745.
Delete any smishing texts you receive.
Once you have clicked on a link or provided your information, take steps to protect your personal information and financial accounts. Deny any unknown allegations.

Buscher, state and local police have encouraged people to remain vigilant against all types of fraud.

If you have any questions about EZDriveMA notifications, you can contact www.EZDriveMA.com.

Looking back at the recent news, I noticed that Swansea Police were among the first police forces to warn about this scam. On Jan. 10, Norwell police posted an alert on their Facebook page with a photo of the text message.

A few months ago, in early November, the Braintree Police Department also released a warning about a variety of text message smishing scams, stating, “Scam Alert: Smishing Cases Are on the Rise.”

Scammers really want you to click on it and take them to your personal information

Smishing has been described in various AI summaries as a form of cybercrime that involves sending fraudulent text messages to trick people into revealing personal information or clicking on malicious links.

Victims are believed to be more likely to click on links in text messages than on emails and phone calls, partly due to advances in spam filters.

A fake text message might claim that you’ve won a gift card from a major retailer. Or that a subscription or service is about to be canceled due to a payment issue. Or promote an app that sounds useful or fun but leads to malware.

How to protect yourself from smishing

Do not click on hyperlinks in texts from unknown or suspicious numbers.

Be careful with shortened URLs in SMS messages.

Do not respond to text messages from unknown or suspicious numbers.

Keep your phone’s operating system up to date.

Be aware of the warning signs of social engineering, such as: E.g. urgent messages or quick fixes to get rich.

In Weymouth, Muriel Savoy Moloney, 94, relies on text messages to stay in touch with family and friends. She said she’s been receiving text messages lately saying they’re “from UPS” because they can’t deliver packages because they don’t have the correct address.

“I’ll just delete them,” she said. “Also, I don’t pay attention to emails or text messages asking for information. If it’s legitimate, a letter is usually sent.” She used to work at a bank in Boston and has a built-in filter.

Buscher said fraudulent text messages through the mail are particularly common during the holidays, when scammers know that many people are sending and receiving packages.

Buscher says: “Trust your gut feeling” and delete, delete, delete

Buscher said she has received calls from seniors who received messages about unpaid tolls as well as other suspicious text messages about packages that supposedly couldn’t be delivered. These fake news always ask for information.

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