Officials Warn Granite Staters About E-ZPass ‘Smishing’ Scam Targeting Phones With Malware

CONCORD, NH — State officials are warning New Hampshire residents to avoid a new “smishing” scam involving cellphone messages that look like official text messages from E-ZPass.

Scammers are using fake messages to convince victims to reveal sensitive personal information after they are told they have unpaid invoices in an express lane requiring an E-ZPass transponder. Officials said clicking on the link leads to harmful malware being installed on phones or money requests made by the scammers. The text messages, which appear to be official-looking, threaten the consumer with $35 fees if the charge remains unpaid.

“‘Smishing’ scams will typically involve the unauthorized use of a business or government agency’s official logo and likeness in order to make the messages more persuasive,” Michael Garrity, the director of communications for the attorney general’s office, said. “The text messages will typically create some sense of urgency such as an unpaid bill or undelivered package and will encourage consumers to click on a link to address the problem. In addition to text messages, scammers frequently use similar tactics to target consumers by email and other messaging platforms like social media sites.”

Garrity said recipients of the texts should never click on any links embedded in the message. Instead, E-ZPass customers should use safe methods to check their accounts, such as the official E-ZPass website, ezpassnh.com, or the NH E-ZPass app.

Anyone receiving the fraudulent text can also file a complaint with the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center at ic3.gov. The site is dedicated to sharing information on Internet crimes across law enforcement agencies, he said.

Anyone with questions about the scam can contact the Attorney General's Consumer Protection Hotline at 1-888-468-4454.

For more information about the Attorney General’s Consumer Protection Bureau at doj.nh.gov/citizens/consumer-protection-antitrust-bureau.

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