Scammers posing as SunPass persist despite recent state crackdown
TAMPA - There's a new warning for SunPass holders about a scam once again making the rounds, targeting drivers for unpaid toll fees.
Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody cracked down on several of the fraudulent websites last month, but new ones now appear to be popping up.
Driver Ron Carlson did exactly what you're supposed to do: he did not click the link. Instead, he reached out to SunPass himself and learned about the scam. He happens to be well-versed in cybersecurity, but others may not be as vigilant, which is why he wants to warn people to watch out for this.
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Scammers posing as SunPass appear to be renewing their efforts and it's taking a toll on drivers.
"They try everything. They won't quit. They're unrelenting," Carlson said. "They're aggressive on just tracking people who aren't paying attention."
But Carlson was paying attention Wednesday when he got a text message from a phone number with a Canadian area code that read: "Sunpass: Our records indicate that you have an unpaid toll trip. Please make an online payment at sunpasstollfees.com to avoid excessive late fees."
"At first I thought that was strange because they usually only send email. They never text. It had the SunPass name. It had a link to the SunPass website," Carlson said.
That's when Carlson called SunPass himself and heard this message.
"Florida's Turnpike Enterprise is aware of a recent phishing scam involving text messages," the recording said.
PREVIOUS: SunPass issues alert about phishing scam carried out via text messages
A previous bout of the same scam made the rounds last month when Moody showed how the fraudulent sites were designed to mimic SunPass's actual website.
"We're always making sure Floridians are confirming and checking websites before they go on making payments," Moody said during a news conference in May.
At the time, Moody said the state shut down these ten websites associated with scam addresses, all with a variation of the word SunPass and a dash:
- sunpass-service.com
- sunpass-help.com
- sunpass-online.com
- sunpass-florida.com
- sunpass-toll.com
- sunpass-tolls.com
- sunpass-express.com
- service-sunpass.com
- tolls-sunpass.com
- web-sunpass.com
However, the text Carlson got Wednesday is a new web address not on the list: "sunpasstollfees.com." Another viewer sent FOX 13 a text message they received on Tuesday, also from the same Canadian area with the address "sunpasstollsfees.com." Both are new addresses not listed on the list of sites shut down by Moody.
"Watch out for text messages. Don't click on things if it's a company that you've done business with before. Try and access that company the way you normally have done in the past," Carlson said.
SunPass says it will never ask for a payment or any action on your account via text. If you do get a text from SunPass, it will always come from the number 786-727.
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