Tracy Jeffords is sounding the alarm on fake texts that appear to be from FasTrak tolls.
The 72-year-old Lake County man told ABC 7 On Your Side that he lost more than $3,300 to a scammer who used his debit card information to make a purchase on eBay. Now he wants to warn other seniors to be on the lookout for scam texts that reporters say have inundated people in the Bay Area for months.
It all started back In April when Jeffords drove to San Francisco for a heart procedure. Shortly after returning home, he received a text that said he owed money for crossing a bridge toll plaza. He assumed the text was legitimate and entered his debit card information. However, when he received a letter from FasTrak for the same reason some days later, the alarm bells sounded.
Jeffords checked his bank account and found his information had been used to make a purchase on eBay.
"It made me feel terrible. And the thing is, it’s going to happen to somebody else."
Jeffords says he wants to warn others who may not realize the texts are a scam. "Especially older people. I have my [faculties] about me, but I don’t really think twice or get suspicious as I should, or as I used to," he said.
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Getting reimbursed after a scam
ABC 7 On Your Side is working to help Jeffords get reimbursed after the scam. Though he has tried to dispute the charge with both eBay and his bank, he has so far been unable to recover the $3,300 he lost.
Michel Weksler, a consultant specializing in payment security, warned that scams that go after debit card information are harder for banks to reverse.
"The primary thing is that the money moves almost instantaneously. And when the money is moved, you cannot easily get it back. In most cases, it’s gone," he said.
Jeffords says that as a retiree, losing this sum has a substantial impact on his budget.
FBI receives 2,000 complaints about road toll collection services scams
Just as news reports warn of scam texts hitting phones all over the Bay Area, the AARP also reports that residents of Utah are being hit with a similar scam. In fact, IC3, the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center, reports shows the organization has received more than 2,000 complaints about road toll collection texts. And scams purporting to be from FasTrak Lane, the company that collects tolls for all roads in California specifically, are the most common. The AARP warns that the scam is also hitting those outside of California, with a volunteer in Utah reporting a similar story as Tracy Jeffords. Luckily, the volunteer’s bank was able to flag the charge as suspicious and deactivate her debit card.
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How to avoid text-based scams
The AARP advises seniors to always be suspicious of text messages purporting to be from legitimate companies and services. FasTrak, for example, never requests payment from drivers via a text with a link to a website. The AARP also advises looking at the number the text came from. These scams often originate outside of the states. For example, the volunteer in Utah found that her scam text came from a number with the country code of the Philippines.
The FCC further warns seniors that scams will often use threatening or pushy language to get you to act quickly, but that legitimate toll collectors will never do this. For example, many of these scam texts threaten to suspend your account or hit you with further fines. If you receive a text of this type, you can always call the toll company right away at a number searched up on their website, instead of following any links in the text and potentially falling for a scam.
The FCC also says the following flags are a “dead giveaway” that a text is a scam:
- Asking you to pay through non-standard methods like gift cards or wire transfers
- The text originates from an international phone number
- Other phone numbers included as recipients
- Generic greetings such as "Dear Customer" or "E-ZPass user." They note that legitimate messages will usually address you by name.
And if the message is a scam, the toll company will want you to report the details to help them track down the impersonators.
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This article provides information only and should not be construed as advice. It is provided without warranty of any kind.
