Text messages appearing to be from Pennsylvania Turnpike are a scam, officials say

MIDDLETOWN, Pa. — State officials are warning the public about ongoing scam text messages.

The text claims recipients that they owe the Pennsylvania Turnpike toll money. They say they are from the “PA Turnpike Toll Services.”

The Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission says the scam seems to be targeting E-Z Pass users.

It includes a link that will send people who click on it to a fake Pennsylvania Turnpike website. If you receive this link, you should not click on it. Officials say it is a phishing scam.

A WPXI producer received a text message on Sunday saying she owes $12.51 and that if she doesn’t pay it, a $50 late fee will be charged. The link then prompts the recipient to enter their credit card information, something many people say has become all too common and sometimes easy to fall for.

“I sign up for a lot of the sales, texts, shopping and stuff, so I know which ones I usually sign up for and which ones I don’t. But some of them are starting to get more realistic,” said Shanen Lazenby, who was driving to Virginia on the turnpike.

“I get those text messages all the time. I get them from, I don’t know, I feel like everybody is sending those now, so it just seems like something you would click on because it’s coming to your phone,” said Samantha Jiles, an EZPass account holder.

Turnpike officials said do not click on the link, which is seemingly sent from PA Turnpike Toll Services. Instead, the best thing to do is to crosscheck the information. In cases like this, you can log into your online EZPass account or call the turnpike’s customer service center.

“Anyone who pressures you to pay or give your personal information that immediately is likely a scammer,” said Crispin Havener, Pennsylvania Turnpike spokesperson.

The Turnpike does not use text messages to collect tolls. The turnpike commission is encouraging those who received the text message to contact the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center at www.ic3.gov.

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