The Better Business Bureau says it first received reports of these fake toll text scams last year. Dozens of consumers reported the fake texts to the BBB Scam Tracker between April and August of 2024.
So far, no one in West Michigan has reported losing money. But now, Katie Grevious with the Better Business Bureau in Western Michigan says the scam is back and it’s worse.
“These scams have advanced. And now these scammers are pretending to be “real” toll companies form real place but again asking for that money from people that maybe didn’t leave the state or didn’t go on a trip.”
Again, scammers are impersonating real toll collection services like E-ZPass and EZDriveMA and creating fake companies like Michigan Toll Services. Grievous has tips to avoid the toll road scams… first, you know whether you went through a toll road, so if you didn’t’ and you get a link just delete it… but,
“If you really did go through a toll road, and you missed a toll, you’re likely going to get something in the mail, not a link. That’s the suspicious part, and that’s the way scammers are going to try to get you to click on that fake link.”
Grevious says one of the best things you can do is to report it to the BBB Scam tracker to help warn others. You can also file a report with the FBI Internet Crime Complaint Center at www.ic3.gov
