A statewide phone text scam has now apparently reached the western part of North Carolina. The fraudulent message claims: “North Carolina Tolls Services, our records indicate that your vehicle has an unpaid toll invoice. To avoid additional charges of $76.00, please settle your balance of $7.60 at https://ncquickpasstollservices.com.”
Despite appearing legitimate, the link is fraudulent, as confirmed by the North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT) and the North Carolina Turnpike Authority (NCTA). The NCDOT shared an image of the scam text on its social media platforms and provided a link to the NCTA’s news release. According to the release, the NCTA was alerted to a text message-based scam, known as smishing, which falsely claims to represent tolling agencies nationwide.
The official NC Quick Pass website has an alert warning customers of this scam, stating, “Receive a suspicious text? NC Quick Pass does not request payments through text.” The alert also links to the NCTA’s July 25 news release. NC Quick Pass emphasizes that it never requests payment via text and that all legitimate links will include ncquickpass.com or secure.ncquickpass.com.
The NCTA news release indicates that this smishing scam is part of a series of such scams under FBI investigation. The FBI advises individuals who receive these fraudulent messages to:
1. File a complaint with the Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) at www.ic3.gov, including the originating phone number and the website listed in the text.
2. Check their account using the toll service’s official website.
3. Contact the toll service’s customer service phone number.
4. Delete any received smishing texts.
The FBI also advises anyone who clicked the fraudulent link or provided personal information to take steps to secure their personal and financial information and to dispute any unfamiliar charges.
