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.