Floridians are facing a new wave of toll scams, prompting warnings from the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) and the city of Cape Coral.
A big giveaway, a text, is a scam, is the number or email contact that pops up associated with the message.
As of late March, this is at least the third or fourth wave of these scams since the beginning of the year.
FDOT and the city of Cape Coral have advised residents not to click on any links in these messages.
They say you will never get a text about a toll invoice or balance. Clicking the links in these texts or emails could give scammers access to your personal information. Even if the message asks you to text 'STOP' to end the messages, do not do that either. And certainly do not pay any money.
If you receive one of these messages and are unsure if it is real, FDOT advises verifying the source by contacting SunPass or E-Z Pass directly using the numbers on their official websites.
Additionally, check your account for unpaid tolls using your portal, not by using the links in those emails or texts.
FDOT emphasized that if you get one of these messages, do not click them. Delete it right away and report it.
To report a SunPass text scam, you can file a complaint with the FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) at ic3.gov or forward the suspicious text to your mobile phone provider by forwarding it to 7726 (SPAM).
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