The Latest…Texting Scams

The Tennessee Attorney General’s Consumer Protection Division urges Tennesseans to be aware of phishing text scams claiming that a consumer has unpaid toll road and EZ Pass balances.

According to the FBI, tech scams like these cost Tennesseans more than $190 million in 2024, with seniors accounting for one-third of those losses.

It is recommended that consumers who receive these texts report and delete them to protect their private financial information.

The Federal Trade Commission released the following tips on how to deal with these phishing attempts:

Do not click on any links or respond to unexpected texts. Check to see if the text is legit: Contact the state’s tolling agency using a phone number or website you know is real, not the info from the text. Report and delete unwanted text messages: Use your phone’s “report junk” option to report unwanted texts to your messaging app or forward them to 7726 (SPAM).

Finally, file a complaint with the IC3, www.ic3.gov: Be sure to include the phone number from where the text originated and the website listed within the text.