What is EZDriveMA? Text messages toll scam explained as police raise awareness

Drivers based in Massachusetts have been targeted for some time in an EZDriveMA scam, where they are receiving messages related to unpaid tolls. The scam aims to get personal details of the drivers and the FBI has already launched an investigation into the matter, as reported by NBC10 Boston on January 10.

According to the official website of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, EZDriveMA refers to an electronic tolling program, including the E-ZPass MA and Pay By Plate MA. It functions without toll booths on places such as Mass Turnpike (I-90), Tobin Memorial Bridge, the Sumner, Callahan, and Ted Williams Tunnels.

The Massachusetts Department of Transportation has sent a warning to all drivers about the scam. While speaking to NBC10 Boston, a victim named Glen Deramond opened up about his experience, saying that the message came from a foreign phone number and featured a pending bill worth $6.99.

Glen mentioned that he became suspicious after witnessing that the message was sent from EZDrive LDW and added:

"There was a country code attached to the number it came from which happens to be 63 which is the Philippines."

Glen also clicked on a link added to the message and it featured hyperlinks to platforms, eventually opening a page asking for payment. He eventually spotted the scam warning on top of the site and got in touch with EZDriveMA, where customer support told him they had already received similar complaints.

Furthermore, the FBI has advised the drivers to file a complaint through IC3 with the number from where the message was sent alongside the link included under it. However, drivers have been told to immediately delete the text after getting in touch with the authorities, as per NBC10 Boston.

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Massachusetts Department of Transportation warns people about the EZDriveMA scam

As mentioned, several drivers have been receiving scam messages about unpaid tolls and the Massachusetts Department of Transportation is trying to make people aware of the same.

Notably, the messages redirect drivers to a website where they are tricked into sharing their credit card details and other information about themselves. CBS News also shared a screenshot of the message which features a link and it reads in the beginning:

"Your vehicle has an unpaid toll bill. To avoid excessive late fees on your bill, please settle it promptly."

As part of warning drivers about the scam, the Massachusetts Department of Transportation stated that the payments are never asked through messages. However, in case anyone still has a pending bill, they can make a call at 877-627-7745 or visit the official website of EZDriveMA.

According to WCVB, Highway Administrator Jonathan Gulliver advised the drivers to ignore the messages, saying that they never use that medium to get in touch with people. Gulliver further stated:

"This is a nationwide scam going on. It specifically targets people who live nearby tolling authorities. There's not a data breach or anything that has been out there. It's literally randomly generated numbers that are by area code and it's pretty sophisticated."

As per a report by CBS News, the Massachusetts Department of Transportation has told the drivers to secure their personal and financial details if they have clicked the link sent in the message.

The outlet stated that a similar scam incident happened last year when people received an invoice to complete the payment of EZDriveMA bills. FBI is already investigating the ongoing scam and further updates on the same are currently awaited.