Public urged to be vigilant of motorway toll text message scam
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The public have been warned about yet another text messaging scam doing the rounds in Ireland.
In this latest 'smishing' scam, fraudsters pretend to be motorway operators, namely M50 operator eFlow, and text their target urging payment for an outstanding charge, or to update their account details.
The messages vary in content, but always include and embedded hyperlink to a cloned website, which appears to be authentic.
In a bid to collect banking or personal details, the messages often inform the recipient that, if they do not perform the task mentioned, they may be slapped with an additional bogus fine, or that their eFlow tag or account will be suspended.
Bank of Ireland said it has seen a significant increase in motorway-themed smishing scams in recent months and has warned motorists to look out for the phony texts if travelling over the Bank Holiday weekend.
“Smishing attacks tend to come in waves, and the latest theme is motorway fraud, where fraudsters are sending fake text purportedly from operators such as eFlow," said Bank of Ireland Head of Fraud Nicola Sadlier.
"As more people will be hitting the roads this Easter weekend, they might be more inclined to click on such a text message thinking it is legitimate."
Ms Sadlier says this latest round of scam texts mirror previous ones in which scammers tried to steal people's personal information by posing as An Post, other delivery companies, Government agencies, or banks.
"Text messages should be treated with extreme caution — the general rule is never trust, always verify,” Ms Sadlier added.
Anyone who receives a text has been advised not to respond to or click on hyperlinks in any texts from motorway operators.
Anyone concerned about the provenance of a suspicious text should always verify the identity of the sender by calling the company directly using their legitimate phone number, which should be sourced independently from text messages.
eFlow itself says that it, like banks, delivery companies, utility providers, Government agencies, and gardaí, will never send a text linking to a website to confirm online banking or payment details.
The M50 Motorway operator also says that anyone who does receive such a text should ignore it and not open any link contained within.