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Don’t fall for ‘smishing,’ MassDOT warns
The scams concern EZDriveMA, MassDOT’s electronic tolling program.
The Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT) is warning customers to be wary of potential text message scams, which have become more common. The scams are known as “smishing,” which is “a mashup of SMS — for ‘short message service’ — and phishing,” according to a scam guide from the FCC.
The department posted an advisory about the scam to its X page Friday after an increase in scams. The scams concern EZDriveMA, MassDOT’s electronic tolling program.
“Due to an increase in scams, #MassDOT is reminding customers to be mindful of text message-based scams, also known as ‘smishing,’” said the post.
Due to an increase in scams, #MassDOT is reminding customers to be mindful of text message-based scams, also known as smishing.
— Mass. Transportation (@MassDOT) January 10, 2025
🚫EZDriveMA will never request payment by text.
➡️All links associated with EZDriveMA will include https://t.co/4pRxFn8pEq pic.twitter.com/70gCF52wo0
The post also states that “EZDriveMA will never request payment by text” and that all associated links will include the official EZDriveMA website URL.
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MassDOT’s warning comes after similar warnings from Boston police earlier this week about an unpaid parking ticket scam. The scam includes text messages about allegedly overdue parking tickets and encourages users to click suspicious links which lead to scam sites.
Some of the most effective ways to avoid falling for smishing scams include ignoring unfamiliar links, not responding to messages, deleting suspicious texts, and installing anti-malware software, according to the FCC.
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