Drivers in Massachusetts warned of E-ZPass scam claiming they owe unpaid tolls

By Laura Haefeli

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    WALTHAM, Massachusetts (WBZ) — Drivers in Massachusetts are being warned of scam text messages claiming their owe money for unpaid tolls.

It all starts with a text message that looks like an invoice for unpaid toll booths from E-ZPass but the agency said they’re fake. One Waltham driver posted the message she got on social media, warning others the collection was for tolls she never passed.

The scam is known to the FBI. The bureau said since early March, they’ve received more than 2,000 complaints. Jennifer Coffindaffer, a retired FBI special agent, said the scam is working because the cash is collected in small increments for a mistake that’s easily made.

“Toll booths are all over the United States and you don’t actually stop at a booth. Sometimes, you might not even know you’ve gone through a toll and then all of a sudden you owe for a toll,” said Coffindaffer. “This is a big reason this scam is really taking off.”

Coffindaffer said there’s one way to know if you’re being scammed; she said a toll authority will never reach out to you via text message.

“Don’t click on the link but you can contact the toll authority to make sure you don’t owe anything,” said Coffindaffer.

E-ZPass said it’s aware scammers are claiming to represent the agency. They said the scammers are targeting numbers at random that are not necessarily associated with an account. If you do get one of these texts, you can report it to the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center.

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