A massive wave of phishing scams targeting smartphone users has prompted warnings from federal agencies and local governments nationwide. Cybercriminals are sending fraudulent text messages about unpaid toll and parking fees, using sophisticated techniques to steal personal and financial information.
How These Scams Work
The texts follow a consistent pattern: claiming you have an unpaid toll or parking fee that requires immediate payment to avoid penalties. According to Palo Alto Networks’ Unit 42, scammers have registered “over 10,000 domains” to fuel these attacks, with the campaign moving “from state to state” across America.
The FBI warns citizens to “delete any smishing texts received.” These texts typically contain links to fake payment sites designed to harvest personal data and credit card information.
“Not only is the scammer trying to steal your money, but if you click the link, they could get your personal info and even steal your identity,” the FTC cautions.
Technical Details
The toll scam appears to be franchised to local operators but leverages a toolkit built by Chinese cybercrime groups. Many domain names use the Chinese .XIN TLD, with deceptive URLs such as:
- ezdrive.com-2h98[.]xin
- e-zpassny.com-ticketd[.]xin
- sunpass.com-ticketap[.]xin
To bypass security measures on iPhones, which disable links in texts from unknown senders, scammers use open redirects through trusted domains like Google.com.
One telltale sign of foreign origin: dollar signs appear after the amount (35$) rather than before, as is customary in the US.
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Most Targeted Cities
McAfee reports “fake toll road scams have nearly quadrupled at the end of February compared to where they were in January,” with these cities facing the highest attack volumes:
- Dallas, Texas
- Atlanta, Georgia
- Los Angeles, California
- Chicago, Illinois
- Orlando, Florida
Other significantly affected cities include Miami, San Antonio, Las Vegas, Houston, Denver, San Diego, Phoenix, Seattle, Indianapolis, and Boardman, Ohio, according to McAfee’s report.
Dangerous New Tactics
A particularly concerning technique reported by Detroit’s 7 News involves fake payment rejection messages. When victims attempt to pay with a debit card, they receive a pop-up indicating the card was denied. “That’s the trick! The scammers want you to keep trying different cards, so they have those numbers to use themselves.”
Protection Advice
The FBI and FTC recommend:
- Never click links in unexpected texts
- Verify legitimacy by contacting toll services directly through official websites
- Report suspicious texts by forwarding to 7726 (SPAM)
- Delete suspicious messages immediately
- If you provided information, secure your accounts and dispute unfamiliar charges
Cybersecurity firm Zimperium notes criminals are increasingly adopting a “mobile-first attack strategy” because users are more vulnerable on small-screen devices.
Consumer Impact
The scope of this scam is evident from local reports. When Detroit’s WXYZ news station asked Facebook users about receiving these texts, they “got more than 4,300 comments from people across Michigan and others out of state.”
Even Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill reported being targeted: “I received this text as well. It is a scam. If you ever receive a text that looks suspicious, be sure to never click on it. You don’t want your private information stolen by scammers.”
