Linda K., 64
Edison, New Jersey
Based on real scams reported in the US. Names and details changed to protect privacy.
The short story
The text said Linda owed $6.99 in unpaid tolls, with a late fee if she did not pay today. She had driven the turnpike to visit her sister that weekend, so it seemed fair. She tapped the link, entered her card, and typed in the code her bank texted to confirm the payment. Two days later, her card had paid for $3,800 at stores she had never visited.
How it unfolded
The toll agency never sent that text. The same message went out to thousands of phone numbers at once, and for anyone who had driven a toll road lately, it fit right in.
The code was the part Linda could not have guessed. Her bank sent it because the scammers were adding her card to a phone they controlled, and the payment page asked her to type the code in. Once she did, her card worked on a stranger's phone. The $6.99 was never the point.
What would have stopped it
What would have stopped itToll agencies do not text you to pay. If a text says you owe a toll, do not tap the link. Sign in to your toll account yourself, on the agency's real website or application.