Officials throughout California are renewing warnings about hackers posing as FasTrak representatives and demanding money in an text message scam.
California agencies identified the fastrak scam months ago
The California Department of Justice first warned of the ongoing scam over the summer. But in recent days, express lane agencies from Los Angeles to San Francisco have once again sent alerts to customers about the ongoing grift.
“Metro ExpressLanes does NOT send out text messages asking for sensitive information or requesting payment,” the organization, which operates toll lanes in L.A. County, said in a consumer alert . “If you receive a text message regarding tolls or violations, please do not respond to the message, do not click any links in it, and do not use any contact information provided in it.”
Similar statements were also issued by SB Express Lanes in San Bernardino County and the Metropolitan Transportation Commission in the Bay Area, urging those who receive the scam messages to make reports to the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center at www.ic3.gov .