The Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission (PTC) advises the public that a smishing scam is being attempted. The scam aims to deceive people so they will share their personal financial information to settle outstanding toll amounts.

The texts purport to be from Pennsylvania Turnpike Toll Services and center around urgent requests to settle unpaid tolls; the texts claim that the recipient will be charged an additional amount if an overdue balance is not paid. Similar scams have recently been reported by toll agencies across the country.

People who receive an unsolicited text, email, or similar message suggesting it is from the PTC or another toll agency should not click on the link. E-ZPass account holders and Toll By Plate customers can use approved safe methods to check their accounts such as the official PTC E-ZPass website or the PA Toll Pay app available from the Apple App Store or the Google Play store.

Those who receive a fraudulent text may file a complaint with the FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center at http://www.ic3.gov. The site is dedicated to sharing information on internet crimes across law enforcement agencies.

To learn more about how to stay safe from scams, visit http://www.paturnpike.com/about-us/security-fraud.