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You may have never been to Massachusetts, but you have an unpaid toll there. At least that’s what the text message you got from an unknown number says. Or the message might have something to do with unpaid postal fees (or something similar). But there is no toll and there are no postal fees. There’s only a scam that has netted criminal organizations in China more than $1 billion in three years, according to the Department of Homeland Security.
Something phishy going on
The link in the scam message often takes you to a fake government website, where criminals steal any personal information you put in, like credit card or driver’s license numbers. It’s a simple idea, but it’s no simple operation to set up. According to the Wall Street Journal:China-based gangs hire gig workers in the US to set up rooms filled with networking devices and SIM cards so they can send as many messages as possible.
If the scam works, more people are hired in the US to buy things with the stolen money and ship them to China, so it’s harder to track. Those items are then sold on the black market to fund the crime operations.
It’s becoming a lot more common, too: Spam-filtering company Proofpoint says the monthly volume of toll-scam messages has more than tripled since January 2024. In a lawsuit filed this past week, Google accused one group of stealing between 12.7 million and 115 million credit card numbers, just in the US.
How do I know it’s a scam? Your Spidey sense should start tingling if you see the message is from an international number or has multiple other recipients. Also, be wary of urgent calls to action, which scammers use to get people to rush and make mistakes. The actual government will never ask you to pay via wire transfer or gift card.
If it’s a scam message, just treat it like it’s from an ex: Don’t click any links, don’t reply, and consider blocking the number.—BC
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