Aggrostats

Attorney General Murrill’s Public Protection Division is alerting the public that the ‘overdue toll scam’ has reached parts of Louisiana. According to the Federal Trade Commission, scammers are targeting drivers with text messages pretending to be from a tolling agency to collect ‘overdue toll charges.’

The text will tell people to click on a link to pay the ‘overdue toll charges’ so they avoid late fees. However, this isn’t the tolling agency contacting you, it’s likely a scammer. If you click on the link, that can lead the scammer to take your personal information and steal your identity. If you also put your credit card number into the fraudulent system, the scammer could ultimately steal your money.

“This is a common scam that you may never fall for; however, your older family members could be targeted and at-risk of losing money from it. We urge everyone to pay close attention to who is texting and calling them, and asking for funds,” said Attorney General Murrill.

Here are our tips to avoid falling victim to this scam:

• Check with the tolling agency to make sure the information is correct.
• Don’t click on links or respond to texts from people or numbers not in your contact list.
• Take note of the phone number where the text originated and the website listed within the text before you delete the message

You can file a report with the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center at www.ic3.gov. 

For more consumer safety tips, call Attorney General Liz Murrill’s Consumer Protection Hotline at 800-351-4889.