May 21, 2025:
A toll road text message scam is circulating in South Dakota– again– and state officials don’t want people to fall for it.
The scam text tells the recipient that they must pay a tax for traveling on roads and bridges. The Attorney General’s Office Consumer Protection Division said the toll road text message doesn’t say what state the toll is from, and the amount to be paid is not displayed unless the recipient opens the link– which you should NOT do.
The Attorney General’s Office and the state Department of Transportation remind the public that all state-owned roads and bridges in South Dakota are toll free.
The Consumer Protection Division offers these other cautionary tips to consumers:
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Do not click onto suspicious links or accept downloads.
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Don’t trust your caller ID. If you don’t know the number, DON’T answer the call. Hang up on robocalls.
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Question why an unfamiliar text message has your number.
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Do not click onto suspicious links or accept downloads.
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Do not give into high pressured tactics to resolve “the issue.” Stop, take a moment, and review all information.
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Find the official number of the agency that supposedly messaged you and call to confirm the information.
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Don’t provide money or personal information via telephone or internet to an individual or organization that you don’t know or haven’t verified.
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Be wary of any caller who tells you not to tell anyone else about the call.
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Talk to someone you trust before you provide money or personal information to someone who contacts you.
Consumers who believe they may have been a victim of any type of scam should contact the Attorney General’s Office’s Consumer Protection Division at 1-800-300-1986; by emailing consumerhelp@state.sd.us; or at https://consumer.sd.gov/. You may be helping someone else by reporting what you’ve encountered.
March 13, 2025:
WASHINGTON (AP) — The FBI is warning Americans not to respond to scam road toll collection texts after receiving more than 2,000 complaints this month.
The texts impersonating state road toll collection agencies attempt to get phone users to reveal financial information, such as credit or debit cards or bank accounts.
They’re so-called smishing scams — a form of phishing that relies on SMS texts to trick people into sending money or share sensitive information.
The FBI says the texts are moving from state to state and use nearly identical language falsely claiming that recipients have an unpaid or outstanding toll that could result in fines or suspended driving privileges.
The FBI is asking those who receive the scams to file a complaint with its IC3 internet crime complaint center, www.ic3.gov, and to also delete the texts.
Cybersecurity firm Palo Alto Networks said last week that a threat actor has registered over 10,000 domains for the scams. The scams are impersonating toll services and package delivery services in at least 10 U.S. states and the Canadian province of Ontario.
While Apple bans links in iPhone messages received from unknown senders, the scam attempts to bypass that protection by inviting users to reply with “Y” and reopen the text.
March 12, 2025:
A toll road text message scam is circulating in South Dakota and state officials don’t want people to fall for it.
South Dakota Attorney General Marty Jackley and South Dakota Department of Transportation Secretary Joel Jundt say the scam orders the recipients to pay a tax– or toll– for traveling on the state’s roadways. They say the scammers tell the message recipient that they must pay the toll by a certain date or they could lose their legal ability to drive, and could face future penalties. The message also includes a link to an E-Z Pass account that poses as an overdue payment portal.
Jackley and Jundt say none of South Dakota’s state-owned roads and bridges charge a toll.
The South Dakota Attorney General’s Consumer Protection Division recommends these tips to consumers:
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Do not click onto suspicious links or accept downloads.
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Do not give into high pressured tactics to resolve “the issue.”Stop, take a moment, and review all information.
-
Don’t trust your caller ID. If you don’t know the number, DON’T answer the call. Hang up on robocalls.
-
Find the official number of the agency that supposedly called you and call to confirm the information.
-
Don’t provide money or personal information via telephone or internet to an individual or organization that you don’t know or haven’t verified.
-
Be wary of any caller who tells you not to tell anyone else about the call.
-
Talk to someone you trust before you provide money or personal information to someone who contacts you.
Consumers who believe they may have been a victim of any type of scam should contact the Attorney General’s Office’s Consumer Protection Division at 1-800-300-1986 or at https://consumer.sd.gov/, You may be helping someone else by reporting what you’ve encountered.
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