YORK COUNTY — As motorists begin to travel for summer road trips, the York-Poquoson Sheriff’s Office is warning residents about a rise in a scam concerning unpaid EZ-Pass tolls.
While the EZ-Pass scam is the popular scam at the moment, York-Poquoson Sheriff’s Deputy Kevin Taylor warns that criminals continue to be creative in finding ways to commit their crimes.
“We have to be smarter than the cyber criminal. We can put handcuffs on criminals, but sometimes it’s easier to educate people to not be a victim in these traps. These people are consistently changing the game and inventing new ways to inflict harm, and we have to consistently educate our residents on how to remain vigilant,” Taylor said.
Whether it is the toll scam or a phishing email, Taylor encourages residents to stop and think before acting.
“Slow down and take a breath. You didn’t initiate it, so you have time. It’s not somebody standing there at your front door, looking to say, ‘you’ve gotta go,’ so you have an opportunity to take a deep breath, slow down and figure it out,” Taylor said.
According to Taylor, scammers often prey on victims’ emotional side.
“These cyber criminals love to get people’s heart pumping. They want you to make an irrational, emotional decision. They are trying to scare you into acting quickly,” Taylor said.
Current rising scams include the EZ-Pass toll scam, police warrants and undeliverable packages.
“The government or EZ-Pass or anybody is not going to contact you through text message. Would a fraud department maybe text message you through your bank? Yes. But only if you have notifications set up from your fraud department at your bank to actually do that,” Taylor says.
Taylor also shared the following tips to stay safe:
- Look for identifiers: Pay attention to misspellings, incorrect grammar and incomplete sentences.
- Don’t click on links: Links in scam messages are almost always infected with malware and spyware. Once clicked, those messages download applications to your device without your knowledge that allow criminals to access your private information.
- Stay informed: Stay up to date on recent scams through research on reputable websites.
According to Taylor, if you or someone you know falls victim to a scam, contact law enforcement as quickly as possible.
“Contact your local law enforcement agency and file a report. It doesn’t stop there. Reach out to the Attorney General’s office and the Federal Trade Commission. They may not be able to give you your $10,000 back, but they might be able to get them further education on securing their accounts and next steps to take,” Taylor said.
To educate residents, the York-Poquoson Sheriff’s Office offers free classes on scams and identity theft. To learn more about classes, visit yorkcounty.gov.