The fraudulent message asks a person to pay for their use of a FasTrak lane 'to avoid excessive late fees and potential legal action on the bill,' according to Metro officials.
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Metro officials are warning Southern California residents of a new scam targeting FasTrak users this holiday season.
The text asks for the person to pay for their use of a FasTrak lane “to avoid excessive late fees and potential legal action on the bill,” according to Metro officials.
“As soon as Metro became aware of the fraudulent text messages, we posted a warning about it on our ExpressLanes website home page,” Metro officials said Thursday. “The ExpressLanes system has not been hacked, and no customer information has been compromised.”
Customers will never receive text messages asking for information or requesting payment, Metro officials said, adding that people should not respond to the phishing attempts or click on any links the scammers include.
This type of scam isn’t new, with Northern California residents experiencing an “uptick” in these messages earlier this year, according to California Attorney General Rob Bonta, who issued a warning on July 1.
“Scammers are often quite literally in our pockets, just a text away,” Bonta said at the time. “Text-based toll charge scams are on the rise and knowing what to look for is an important way to keep consumers safe against these tactics.
“I urge Californians to take practical steps to guard against being victimized by scammers, including talking to friends and family who may be unaware of these dangers,” he added.
To avoid being the victim of a scam, state officials issued the following advice:
People may also file a complaint with the FBI, the Federal Trade Commission and the state Attorney General’s office.
The California FasTrak system is a toll system that covers more than 800 miles across California. It’s advertised as a way for drivers to avoid traffic.
There is currently no FasTrak system in place on Long Beach’s freeways. But it runs through the 10 and 110 freeways in Los Angeles, along with the 91 and 405 freeways in Orange County.
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