Beware

EZ-Pass email really phishing scam

SAN ANTONIO – A new email scam is coming down the pike, warning people they owe money for driving on a toll road.

KSAT.com's Van Darden found it parked in his spam folder.

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"It said it was from E-Z Pass, and it had an official-looking logo on it," Darden said. "But, it just didn't look right."

Darden deleted it, but others nationwide have been duped.

It informs recipients they have not paid for driving on a toll road.

"It wanted me to download a PDF and fill it out and write a check and send a check to an address," Darden said.

The email includes a link to download the invoice, but Leah Napoliello, with the Houston Better Business Bureau, says don't click on it.

"Instead of it being a regular invoice, what it actually is is a virus that is able to scan your computer," said Napoliello. "Once it's installed, it finds any personal, financial or banking information and then uses that to possibly steal your identity."

Texas doesn't even  have E-Z Pass. Toll collectors for Texas toll highways include EZ Tag, TXTag and Toll Tag.

If you think you really do owe a toll, contact the toll collector directly yourself.

The scam serves as a reminder never to click on links in emails unless you are certain who sent the message and to update your computer security software.

If you think you may have been tricked by a scam or phishing email, you can forward it to spam@uce.gov and to the company that was impersonated.

For more information on reducing your risk of identity theft: ftc.gov/idtheft.