Pennsylvania Turnpike officials continue to warn of text scam regarding tolls

MIDDLETOWN, Pa. — Pennsylvania Turnpike officials have issued a warning about a scam targeting random people.

The smishing scam aims to deceive people into sharing their personal financial information to settle outstanding toll amounts.

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

The scam text messages will be from “Pennsylvania Turnpike Toll Services” and will center around urgent requests with the account that would result in additional charges if the overdue balance does not get settled.

Marissa Orbanek, press secretary for the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission says since Saturday – more than 2,000 customers have reported receiving texts.

“We have heard from customers that they have fell for it and provided their information and we’re recommending that they do everything they can to really protect their financial information, contact their banks, freeze their cards,” Orbanek said.

The scammers are unknown and seem to target people at random, of all ages. Messages have reportedly been received as recently as August 2024.

Obranek said other states are seeing similar scams.

Those who receive these messages should not click the link.

If you receive a fraudulent text, you can file a complaint with the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center at www.ic3.gov.

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