Have you gotten a text recently saying you owe money for unpaid tolls?
Scammers are getting more craftywhen it comes to swindling people out of money and information.
The unpaid tolls scam has beenseen all over the nationrecently.
Scammers are texting people telling them they have unpaid tolls and threatening them with late fees.
The goal is to get you to press a link and give up sensitive information.
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Who Gets Scammed?
Scammers rely on both hope and fear to get money out of you.
Many scams are geared toward identity theft.
That same age group consistently experiences the highest rate of fraud loss reports.
Children can be victims of identity theft, too.
Scammers use their Social Security number to open credit card accounts, rent homes and more.
The Federal Trade Commission has great information on how topreventchild identity theft.
Here are some of the most common scams.
Phishing
Phishing is when someone poses as a reputable company to get your personal information.
Another common phishing fraud is telling people they owe money for unpaid tolls.
An example sent via text message:
like pay your FastTrak Lane tolls by February 20, 2025.
Sweepstakes scams are done the same way.
Dont give out personal information.
Reach out to the person or business theyre claiming to be before doing anything else.
Family Emergency
This is one of the crueler scams.
This scam often targets older people, with information gathered from social media posts.
They swear the victim to secrecy and put pressure on them to send money immediately.
Can You Survive 10 Days of Budgeting?
Small businesses are often the targets of these types of scams.
Always call your utility company in these cases before taking any action.
That is a lie.
However you feel about the IRS, they cant just jail you.
Be extra suspicious if they offer to let you pay with gift cards, cash or a wire transfer.
They might send you to a website that looks legitimate.
Never give information to anyone on the phone, and always go to the official websites to check information.
Or they might warn you that they have to scan your equipment remotely.
Natural Disaster Scams
Scammers target people at their most vulnerable times.
After a hurricane, flood or fire, they might seem like they are helpers.
This isnt how it works.
Shopping Scams
People of all ages get suckered by shopping scams.
It might be an email that seems like its from a known retailer.
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These are some of the most common shopping scams.
They might offer gift cards, trips, discounts and other temptations to get information on your financial accounts.
Look for an increase in these types of scams around the holiday season.
Banking Fraud
These are pretty well known scams.
Its simple: Just pay the fees and you get the money.
By then, you are out the money you returned and could be charged with intent to commit fraud.
Dating Scams
It seems extra terrible to rip people off by playing with their hearts.
These scammers will create fake profiles that flatter the person then eventually ask for money.
They may make a profile alleging they have an intimate video and threaten to reveal it.
There also are fake dating sites that gather your financial and personal information.
Often victims are too embarrassed to reveal they were targets of fraud.
If something sounds amazingly beneficial, do your homework first.
There are always warning signs.
Scammers want specific information from you.
Businesses and government agencies have secure websites for these types of information.
Dont ever give sensitive information to a website that doesnt have an https in its URL.
Never share PINs or passwords, and dont use the same password for all your logins.
If theres an extreme sense of urgency, it could be a scam.
A reputable company also will never ask you to send money by wire transfers, cash or gift cards.
Nor will they ask you to have your tax refund sent to them.
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Change your passwords if you think a scammer obtained them.
Contact your bank if your debit card was used or your account information was given out.
Also, contact your credit card company if something was charged to your card.
If you sent a wire transfer or used a gift card, contact those companies as well.
If you were scammed online, check your box with antivirus software for malicious software or malware.
you’ve got the option to contact a credit report company to check that your rating isnt affected.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Go to the FTCReport Fraud Pageand tell your local law enforcement.
Be suspicious if someone is asking for your Social Security number, bank accounts, passwords, etc.
and if they want you to pay with cash, wire transfers or gift cards.
Identity theft, phishing, online shopping, banking, tech support and many more.
People in their 30s report scams most frequently.
The Penny Hoarder contributor JoEllen Schilke writes on lifestyle and culture topics.