CLEVELAND — Remember those extended car warranty robocalls on our cell phones?
If we thought those were bad, scammers now set their sights on spamming our phones with text messages. We heard from many of you who are bombarded with requests to pay a bogus bill. I just got one Friday afternoon.
One thing we all need to remember about scammers is that they always swoop in when something big is making headlines.
The switch to a new tolling system on the Ohio Turnpike caused some drivers confusion, which led them to skip toll booths accidentally.
"The Commission will send any unpaid tolls incurred since the new system went live in April of 2024, to the Ohio Attorney General's Office for collections and to the Ohio BMV for holds on vehicle registrations," said Charles Cyrill, Ohio Turnpike Commission.
That warning last month, prompted another round of "smishing."
"Even the title was a little bit threatening," said Catherine Grantham.
Drivers like Grantham have received a strongly worded text message requesting payment for unpaid tolls.
"A lot of times things like that will worry me, because I don't want to get behind in payments," said Grantham.
I heard from hundreds of people via email and social media who had the same message randomly pop up on their phones.
Sadly, some tell me they fell for it, and either tried putting their credit card information in or successfully submitted it.
Grantham was not one of them.
“There are a couple of reasons that I didn't take it seriously though, and one of which was tolls was spelled tools," said Grantham.
Spelling errors and poor grammar are red flags to watch out for in any unsolicited email or text.
Also, Ericka Dilworth with the BBB of Greater Cleveland tells me to be aware of scare tactics and pressure.
Those are the things that people should be looking out for.
"I think any time someone says it needs to happen right now that's the biggest red flag," said Dilworth.
Most importantly, remember the Ohio Turnpike does not request payments by text.
If you get a text message requesting a toll payment, you should contact the Internet Crime Complaint Center.
Grantham wanted to share her story to help protect others.
I asked her what she would say to her neighbors, family, and friends on how to protect themselves.
“I think if they get any sort of a notification, if it's email or if it's a phone call and they're not expecting it. Don't automatically trust it, no matter who they say they are," said Grantham.
If you have consumer questions or concerns, send me an email.
Friday morning, the president of the Better Business Bureau in Canton will join me in the studio to discuss the latest scams and how you can protect your personal information and money.
