According to a recent warning from California Toll Operators, Bay Area residents are being targeted by a fast-spreading FasTrak "phishing" scam. The phishing attack involves deceitful SMS messages that falsely inform recipients of an outstanding toll charge requiring immediate payment to avoid purported "excessive late fees and potential legal action", as reported by KRON4.
Among its telltale signs is a phone number bearing the area code +63, indicative of international origins, specifically the Philippines, and a link that mimics FasTrak's official website, aiming to entice uninformed victims into a cyber snare. The California Toll Operators stressed that legitimate communications regarding toll payments are not conducted via unsolicited text messages, especially to non-accountholders. A point further emphasized by a FasTrak representative in an interview with NBC Bay Area: "The bottom line is here in the Bay Area, FasTrak will not ask for payment by text with a link to a website, period," as said by John Goodwin, adding fuel to the fire of suspicion surrounding these messages.
In response to the incident, the California Toll Operators have urged those who've received such messages to file a complaint with the International Crime Complaint Center. Furthermore, NBC Bay Area reported a similar incident four months earlier, in which they warned the public about a comparable phishing attempt linked to FasTrak tolls.
The FBI has acknowledged that this scam is not unique to California. Similar deceptions have been reported across several states. It encourages those encountering suspicious or fraudulent toll messages to report them at ic3.gov.
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