Scam alert: Don't fall for fake Illinois Tollway texts
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A smishing text. Photo: Carrie Shepherd/Axios
The Illinois Tollway has been warning people not to fall for text messages saying they owe money.
The big picture: The text messages, known as smishing, or Short Message Service (SMS) phishing, are happening across the country. The sender disguises themselves as the state tollway operator claiming the recipient has an unpaid toll.
Flashback: These are not new. Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul's office issued a warning about the scam last March, and the Federal Trade Commission issued an alert in January.
State of play: Phishing scams have become more convincing and "seem like they come from companies you know and trust, like your bank, your credit card company," Amy Bunn from McAfee wrote on the cyber security company's blog.
- "Scammers have leveled up their game in recent years. Their phishing emails can look convincing. Not long ago, you could point to misspellings, lousy grammar, poor design, and logos that looked stretched or that used the wrong colors. However, it's increasingly common to see far more sophisticated attacks today."
Zoom out: FTC fraud complaints in Illinois last year were higher than the U.S. average, breaking down to about 1,470 per 100,000 residents.
- The average is 1,215.
- Americans lost 25% more money to fraud last year than in 2023.
Zoom in: Raoul's office warns people to:
- Not share your phone number or other personal or financial information. Do not give out your Social Security number, bank routing numbers, or other personally identifiable financial information.
- Beware of suspicious contacts. Government agencies generally will not call, email or text you as their first contact attempt to ask for money or personal information. Keep in mind that government agency website addresses typically end in .gov or .org.
- Never open a link or an attachment from unsolicited, suspicious or unexpected text or email.
- Report phishing emails to the AG's office.
The intrigue: Do not respond to suspicious text messages, even to say "STOP." Replying to smishing messages verifies a phone number is active and willing to open such messages, which may lead to more unsolicited text messages.