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FBI and Experts Warn About the Rise of Toll Road Scams: How to Protect Yourself and Your Business
The FBI, cybersecurity experts, and state officials have recently raised alarms about a new wave of toll road-related scams sweeping across the United States. These deceptive attacks, commonly known as “smishing” (SMS phishing), have targeted consumers with fraudulent toll payment notifications. What started as a simple scam to steal personal information has now escalated, with severe consequences not only for individuals but also for businesses.
The typical toll road scam begins with an unsolicited text message claiming that the recipient has an unpaid toll or delivery charge requiring immediate payment. These messages usually contain a link that appears to direct the victim to a legitimate payment page. However, these links redirect users to fake websites designed to harvest sensitive personal data, including credit card numbers, bank account details, and even Social Security numbers.
Scammers often use a sense of urgency in their messages, claiming that failure to pay will result in higher fees or other severe consequences. These fake notifications sometimes extend beyond toll payments, incorporating fraudulent delivery services, making the scam appear even more legitimate. The aim is simple: to trick individuals into entering their sensitive data quickly, without taking the time to verify the authenticity of the request.
The scope of these scams has grown rapidly, with cybersecurity organizations such as Unit 42, McAfee, and the FTC reporting an alarming uptick in incidents across the country. Major U.S. cities, including Dallas, Atlanta, Los Angeles, Chicago, and Orlando, are among the hardest-hit regions. In some areas, local government officials, including Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill, have even personally been targeted, issuing public warnings to residents about the threat.
According to McAfee, these scams are not just limited to one area but are spreading to new regions at an alarming rate, with new reports surfacing each week from places like Detroit, Denver, and San Francisco. These scams are expected to continue their rapid growth as cybercriminals refine their techniques.
A major shift in the tactics of cybercriminals is the increasing focus on mobile devices. As Zimperium, a cybersecurity firm, warns, cybercriminals are moving to a “mobile-first attack strategy.” With smartphones becoming the primary device for many people to manage their personal and financial affairs, they are more likely to click on suspicious links in text messages than in emails.
This makes individuals particularly vulnerable to scams, as it’s much easier to fall for a scam in the smaller format of a text message, where it’s harder to spot red flags like suspicious web addresses or odd characters in the link. As the shift to mobile continues, the risks associated with smishing attacks are growing exponentially.
While these scams primarily target individuals, the consequences can be far-reaching:
- Financial Losses: Victims who enter payment information on fraudulent websites may find themselves with stolen money. Scammers can use the stolen data to make unauthorized charges or engage in further fraudulent activities.
- Identity Theft:
Beyond immediate financial harm, these scams can lead to long-term consequences, such as identity theft. Personal details like Social Security numbers, addresses, and dates of birth can be exploited to open fraudulent accounts, affecting victims' credit scores and financial security.
- Reputational Damage: For small business owners or self-employed individuals, falling for one of these scams could lead to reputational damage. Clients and partners may lose trust in those who have been compromised, leading to potential loss of business or opportunities.
While the immediate victims of these toll payment scams may be individuals, businesses are also at significant risk:
- Data Breaches: When a business owner or an employee falls victim to a scam, cybercriminals can gain access to sensitive company data. This includes customer information, financial details, and business banking credentials. A data breach can have far-reaching consequences, including legal action, regulatory fines, and loss of intellectual property.
- Financial Impact: Businesses that process payments through mobile devices or online platforms may be exposed to fraudulent charges if scammers gain access to payment details. The financial impact extends beyond immediate losses, as businesses may also incur additional costs in fraud detection and securing systems to prevent future breaches.
- Damage to Customer Trust: Trust is the foundation of any business, and it can be severely damaged if customers learn that a business has been tricked by scammers. Negative reviews, lost customers, and a tarnished reputation are just some of the fallout a company could face after such an incident.
- Legal Liabilities: Businesses are required by law to protect their customers’ and employees’ sensitive data. A breach due to a scam could expose a company to lawsuits, fines, and scrutiny from regulatory bodies. Data protection laws like GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation — a data privacy law enacted by the European Union) and CCPA (California Consumer Privacy Act — a data privacy law enacted by the state of California) make it clear that businesses are responsible for securing private information.
It’s essential to recognize the warning signs of a toll payment scam before falling victim:
- Suspicious URLs: Fraudulent links often contain misspelled or altered domains designed to look like legitimate toll websites. Be wary of links with extra hyphens or unusual characters (e.g., geauxpass-la.com instead of geauxpass.com).
- Urgency: Scammers use urgency as a tactic, pressuring victims to act immediately. Legitimate companies will never pressure you into paying an overdue charge through a text message.
- Unusual Payment Requests: If you are asked to enter payment details on an unfamiliar website or if you receive a pop-up indicating your card was declined, this is a red flag. Scammers may use these methods to capture payment information.
If you receive a suspicious toll payment text message, it’s essential to follow these steps:
- Do Not Click the Link: Never engage with unsolicited texts, especially those containing links or asking for payment information.
- Verify the Source: Always reach out to the toll agency directly using a known, legitimate phone number or website. Do not use the contact information provided in the text message.
- Report and Delete: Use your phone’s “report junk” feature to report the scam, or forward the message to 7726 (SPAM). Once reported, delete the message to avoid accidental clicks in the future.
- Secure Your Accounts: If you have entered any personal information or payment details, immediately take steps to secure your accounts. Change passwords, monitor bank statements, and report any suspicious activity.
Both the FBI and FTC offer clear advice for anyone who believes they’ve been scammed:
- File a Complaint: Report the scam to the Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) at www.ic3.gov. Include details such as the phone number the text originated from and the website provided in the message.
- Verify and Protect: Always check your accounts using legitimate websites, and contact customer service via known methods.
- Delete the Scam Text: Once you've verified and reported the scam, delete the message to avoid future risks.
As toll scams continue to evolve, it’s vital to stay vigilant and protect your personal and business data. These scams are no longer just a nuisance; they can result in significant financial and reputational damage. Whether you’re an individual trying to protect your finances or a business owner safeguarding company data, it’s crucial to verify any unsolicited messages and avoid clicking on suspicious links. By following the recommendations of cybersecurity experts and authorities, you can better protect yourself from falling victim to these increasingly sophisticated scams.
Doffman, Zak. "FBI Warning: Delete New Texts On Your Phone." Forbes, Forbes Media, 11 Mar. 2025, www.forbes.com/sites/zakdoffman/2025/03/11/fbi-warning-delete-new-texts-on-your-phone/.
If you keep up with cybersecurity at all, you have probably heard a lot of talk about Zero Trust. Today we will break down what Zero Trust means and give a very basic overview of how it works. What is Zero Trust? It is a security framework requiring all users, whether in or outside the organization’s network, to be authenticated, authorized, and continuously validated for security configuration and posture before being granted or keeping access to applications and data. Why Zero Trust matters? More than 80% of all attacks involve credential use (or misuse) on the network. What will Zero Trust do? Zero Trust will reduce the risk of remote work and insider threats, mitigate third-party risk and manage cloud risk. It does this by 1. Verifying every user; 2. Validating every device; 3. Limit access to data to only the accounts, applications, and devices that need access.
Cyber hacks are on the rise. If you receive a phone call, email, or text regarding an account being overdue, billing/account data changing, or a new login. DO NOT respond, do not click links, and do not call the number listed. Instead, go to the website where you usually login or call the number you previously had on file. If the issue is legitimate, it will alert you upon login. If you are a customer, give our helpdesk a call, and we can verify legitimacy. Don't get Scammed! Let us help protect you.
Most small and midsize businesses (SMB) owners are working hard day-to-day operating their businesses. They are working on the things they are passionate about that got them into business, butalso deciding what to outsource and how many hats they should wear. They are deciding where to cut costs and where to focus their efforts on finding experts to help them grow. They are driving growth, hiring and guiding marketing, and all the other operations that must be done. Many SMB owns aren’t focused on the security of their computer networks. They either don’t know what they don’t know, they don’t know where to look for answers and information, or they do not properly understand the threat of cybersecurity. As SMB owners we often think we are not the target. Why would hackers care about my system and my data? But the downside is that when you do get hacked it costs thousands of dollars to repair the damage versus being proactive and taking care of securing your network on the front end. Facts don’t lie,Verizon’s annual Data Breach Investigations Report shows that 71% of cyberattacks are aimed at SMBs like you! Many of these attacks do make it through. You might be asking why SMBs are a target? Tina Manzer wrote in an article for Educational Dealer, “Size becomes less of an issue than the security network…While larger enterprises typically have more data to steal, small businesses have less secure network.” Hackers can make automated strikes to steal data from thousands of small businesses very quickly. As we know when we learn about securing our homes and families, criminals often look for easy targets. So, are you an easy target, or have you put safety protocols into place that will deter these cybercriminals from your network? Today, cybersecurity is changing quickly and it takes an expert to keep you safe. Just knowing about computers isn’t enough. It takes constant vigilance, professional attention, knowledge, and enough dedicated staff to be watching and staying proactive. Click here to schedule a meeting on how we can help you keep your network secure 24/7, proactively. We have compiled a list of the four most common ways hackers infiltrate hapless small businesses. #1 PHISHING EMAILS An example would be: Your employee receives an email that looks like it is from your company’s billing department or company. It has a link for them to click to fill out required information before their paycheck can be issued. This email looks professional and appears to be authentic. When they click the link, they aren’t redirected anywhere. Instead, vicious malware floods their system, spreading to the entire business network within seconds, and locks everyone out of their data. The hackers want thousands of dollars or they’ll delete everything. This is a common hacker trick and it’s easier than ever to make these emails look authentic and trick your employees. Are your employees trained to recognize these sneaky tactics, and is your network safeguarded in case one of your employees makes a mistake and clicks on a malicious link? If this is still over your head, click here for a free info session. If you aren’t sure if your network is secure, click here . We will walk you through it step by step and make sure you are secure and your employees are trained. #2 BAD PASSWORDS 80% of cyberattacks involve weak passwords and yet 55% of people use one password for all their logins. Hackers can run 420 billion simple, lowercase, eight-character password combinations a minute. There is no excuse for you or your team to use easy-to-crack passwords. One way to create a safe password is to make one out of four random common words, splicing in a few special characters for good measure. To check the strength of your password, type it into HowSecureIsMyPassword.net before you make it official. #3 MALWARE Phishing emails aren’t the only way to deliver malware to your network. An infected website that you accidentally visit when you misspell a UR is a technique called “typosquatting.” Another way is through a USB drive loaded with viruses. You can even download an app that can bring vicious software into your world without you even knowing it. In the past, all you needed was antivirus software. Not anymore! Now, you ned a combination of software systems to combat these threats. It helps to have a security expert you can outsource for a flat monthly fee to take care to this beforehand and prevent these issues from popping up. Click here and let us come to you! #4 SOCIAL ENGINEERING Be careful not to have your security questions on the internet. Make it harder for people to impersonate you and your employees for password resets. These are some great tips, but honestly the best way is to outsource your IT needs to a company that constantly keeps your system updated with the best, most cutting-edge security. They will look for holes and be proactive to prevent these situations. And if something happens and hackers get through to your system, they will be there for protect you. I promise it will cost less and also afford you the peace of mind to know it’s covered.
The heat of the summer and your technology do not mix! We’ve compiled some helpful tips for you to help keep your technology (phones, computers, servers) and data safe this summer! What can happen to your technology because of the heat? Overheating can cause damage to internal components like central processing units (CPUs). It can also cause loss of data through damage to hard drives and solid-state disk drives. We don’t have to tell you why losing data can be devastating to your company, you know this can cause downtime and loss of income and be upsetting to your clients. We are here to help! But won’t my device shut down if it gets too hot? Yes! Most devices will automatically shut down when they reach dangerously hot temperatures. But at that point it could already be too late! It’s best to prevent that if possible. What kind of damage can the heat cause to my equipment? When your devices overheat, performance degrades and these dangerously hot environments can cause damage to specific internal components. All technology has limits and you never know where those limits are so it’s always best to exercise caution. If your computer is forced to overwork in a hot environment, as it tries to stay cool it could melt the internal electronics! SO WHAT CAN I DO TO KEEP MY EQUIPMENT & DATA SAFE THIS SUMMER? #1 COOLING Does your business have adequate air conditioning? Does your data or server room have adequate air conditioning? Do your individual devices have adequate cooling or do they need to be supplemented? Do your devices need their fans cleaned or do you need external fans to cool them on the hottest months? Do you have space heaters or other heating devices too close to your computers? #2 DATA SECURITY NEEDS Do you only keep your data on-site? If there is an emergency, and your data is compromised, do you have a contingency plan? Do you regularly backup your data? If you are a client of Quinn Technology Solutions, your data is secure, backed up offsite, and we have a dedicated person on staff checking your backups daily. If you are not a client please reach out so we can help you get peace of mind that your data is secure. #3 VEHICLES Do not leave any of your tech in a vehicle that is turned off this summer. Internal vehicle temperatures reach dangerously hot temperatures and in Houston this is no exception. This may mean you make adjustments to your trip plans in order to take your tech inside with you or that you leave your vehicle running longer than usual to keep your tech safe. Plan ahead for the heat when leaving the office! #4 DIRECT SUNLIGHT Keep your devices out of direct sunlight in your vehicles and when you are out and about. If you are going to be outside, cover your devices so they are not baking in direct sunlight. #5 DO NO OVERWORK YOUR DEVICES If you notice your device is working extra hard in the heat, shut down all unnecessary programs in order to reduce stress on the tech device and also try to cool it down. Better yet, shut down the devices whenever you can! #6 SIGNS OF OVERHEATING Watch out for these signs of overheating…. Your device shutting down due to heat the screen and other programs freezing your device being hot to the touch abnormally loud fan sounds can all signal overheating #7 DO NOT CHARGE A HOT DEVICE Charging creates more heat so if you have a piece of tech that is already overheating, do not charge it. Instead, turn it off! #8 WHEN IN DOUBT WAIT When a device is overheating turn it off. Do not risk permanent damage. Want Quinn Technology Solutions to help you with these things and more! We are your IT Support Company for the Houston, Texas, Woodlands, Conroe, Katy, Sugarland, Galveston, and all surrounding areas.
The normal response would be that it is the loss of data and money. While those are the immediate tangible things that are lost, the real costs are the loss of reputation and trust with your customers, vendors, employees, and prospective customers; and potentially your entire business. According to the National Cyber Security Alliance, 60% of small companies go out of business within six months of a cyberattack or data breach. The average recovery cost for a small business is $690,000, and for a mid-size company that jumps to $1 million. In 2021 61% of small to mid-size businesses experienced an attack. Some of those businesses may not know for months that they were even infiltrated. Around 4000 business fall prey every day. Small and mid-size businesses feel secure in their anonymity, but are usually easy targets. Hackers know that it is a big payoff for little work. Enterprise companies invest heavily in their security, so they target smaller companies more frequently. They can generally find networks that are easy to penetrate such as firewalls that are not appropriately configured, critical data (Bank accounts, customer data, Tax documents, employee data, etc.) stored without extra layers of protection, unsecured devices connected to the company network (printers, phones, cameras, thermostats), guests having Wi-Fi access to the company network, former employees not being removed properly from the system, and no password management plan. All these vulnerabilities are fixable by a competent IT staff. Properly done, cybersecurity takes some monetary investment from business owners, but without it, every day is a gamble, and one your company may not survive. To break down the numbers: In 2021, there were 32.5 million Small Businesses. 19.5 million suffered a cyberattack. 11.7 million went out of business as a result. (Cybersecurity Ventures) 25% were human error (Threatpost) 279 is the average amount of days until remediation 50% of small businesses took at least 24 hours to resume operation with more than 8 hours of downtime. (Cisco) According to Corvus Insurance, 47% of small businesses do not have a cybersecurity budget, and 42% do not have a response plan (Corvus Insurance) Almost 60% (wrongly) believe they can resolve a cybersecurity attack without a plan or process. (CNBC)