The article discusses a recent surge in scam text messages in the U.S., particularly targeting users with fake toll notifications. These scams, primarily originating from China, involve messages suggesting that recipients owe unpaid tolls, prompting them to click on malicious links. The FBI warns that these messages could lead to identity theft and financial loss, as scammers aim to steal credit card information and personal data.
The Anti-Phishing Working Group (APWG) indicates that these attacks are widespread, with over 19 billion spam texts sent in February 2023 alone. The scam texts often utilize reputable toll service names, while the links direct recipients to impersonated websites. Attackers use significant numbers of domains to deceive victims and can change the sender’s number frequently to avoid detection.
Experts suggest that the scale of these phishing attempts is unprecedented, and while mobile providers have some spam measures in place, they are not effectively stopping these threats. Additional warnings include new tactics where scammers impersonate government entities and threaten recipients with legal action if they fail to pay supposed fines by a deadline.
To avoid falling victim to these scams, users are advised to be skeptical of unexpected notifications, report fraudulent texts to authorities, verify payments through official toll service websites, and regularly update their security measures. The article highlights that such phishing campaigns are expanding and could evolve into more complex schemes that could target various sectors.
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