The New York State Thruway Authority is warning people who have EZ Pass and Tolls by Mail travelers about a sophisticated and dangerous scam hitting cell phones across the state.

Phishing is not something that is new, but it's definitely becoming more of a plague on society and claiming more and more victims every year. There have been several reports of customers getting text messages from users posing as either EZ Pass and Tolls By Mail. You can see an example below.

New York State Thruway Authority
New York State Thruway Authority
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SO what exactly is phishing? It sounds like fishing and that's kind of what it is, only spelled differently. While you may use a worm for bait when fishing, the phishers use these type of text messages to score a big catch from the most vulnerable. The Thruway Authority defines phishing as,

the illegal practice of sending fraudulent emails with links to websites that appear to be legitimate. Please be aware of fraudulent emails that may appear to be from a trustworthy source, but, are designed to trick the user into disclosing sensitive, private and confidential information. "Phishers" send these emails in an effort to deceive users into disclosing sensitive personal information.

This recent scam aims to trick users into clicking a link and convince them there is a balance due. To pay it, scammers prompt you to type in your social security number and credit card information. Then you've been hooked and it leads to a ton of trouble. If you feel you've been victimized by the scam you can take the following steps.

If you've received an email from a sender unfamiliar to you, examine it before clicking any links. If you suspect that it's fraudulent, forward it to the Federal Trade Commission at spam@uce.gov without changing or retyping the subject line. Such changes may inhibit the ability to investigate it properly. Delete the fraudulent email immediately after forwarding to the FTC. Additionally, the Department of Homeland Security's United States Computer Emergency Readiness Team (US-CERT) provides the email address of phishing-report@us-cert.gov to report phishing.

If you suspect you've received a fraudulent Tolls by Mail email, please contact the Customer Service Center at 1-844-TBM-8400 (1-844-826-8400). Additional information about identity theft and online safety can be viewed by visiting the FTC identity theft resource at www.consumer.gov/idtheft, or by calling the FTC at 1-877-IDTHEFT.

The biggest thing the public can do is to help spread the word and prevent others from becoming a victim of this terrible scam. Be sure to tell all your loved ones and constantly remind them of the dangers of these type of scams.

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