Have you recently gotten a text claiming you owe money for unpaid tolls? Maybe you’ve received an email confirming an online order you never placed or a call from someone insisting they’re with the IRS and demanding payment in gift cards.
Fraudsters are becoming more inventive in their attempts to con people out of cash and personal data.
Consumers reported more than $10 billion in losses to fraud in 2023, a 14% rise from 2022, according to the Federal Trade Commission. The unpaid tolls text scam has surfaced nationwide lately. Scammers send texts saying you have outstanding tolls and threaten late fees. Their aim is to trick you into clicking a link and revealing sensitive information.
Scams continue to climb, but we’ve compiled tips to help you spot them — and ultimately avoid becoming a victim.
Who Falls for Scams?
You might think older adults are the primary victims, but people of all ages are at risk. Scammers depend on both hope and fear to extract money or data. Many schemes are aimed at stealing identities.
Data shows that people ages 30–39 were hit hardest in 2024, losing an average of $479, per the Federal Trade Commission. That age bracket consistently has the highest rate of reported fraud losses. Social media was the most common contact method, and the main loss avenues were online shopping and business imposter scams.
The second most targeted group in 2024 were those ages 40–49, who lost an average of $500, also often via online shopping and business imposter schemes.
Older adults aren’t targeted as often, but when they are, the average loss is larger — typically between $1,000 and $1,800. In 2024, seniors over 70 reported phone scams and lost money through online shopping, business imposters, tech support schemes and government imposter scams.
Children can be targets of identity theft as well. Their Social Security numbers may be used to open credit cards, lease property and more. The Federal Trade Commission offers helpful guidance on how to protect a child’s identity.
When an Offer Seems Too Good to Be True
Scammers will text, email, call and mail deceptive messages promising something that sounds too good to be true — because it is. Below are some of the most common schemes.
Phishing
Phishing occurs when someone pretends to be a legitimate company to extract your personal details. They may pose as a government agency, your bank or a business you’ve used before. They’ll request bank account numbers, Social Security numbers, passwords and other details that legitimate organizations never ask for by unsolicited messages.
One common phishing tactic is claiming you owe unpaid tolls via text. An example message might read:
Please pay your FastTrak Lane tolls by February 20, 2025. To avoid a fine and keep your license, you can at (fraudulent webpage). Please reply Y, then exit the text message and open it again to activate the link, or copy the link into your Safari browser and open it.
Don’t follow those instructions. Messages threatening penalties unless you pay immediately are likely scams designed to steal your financial data. Sweepstakes scams operate similarly.
Imposter Scams
Imposter scams come in many forms, but the method is the same: a fraudster pretends to be someone you trust to coax money from you. The contact might appear as an email, phone call, text or social message seeming to be from a friend, family member or a known business. Don’t hand over personal data. Contact the person or company they claim to represent before taking any action.
Family Emergency Scams
This is one of the more heartless cons. Scammers call claiming a loved one is in trouble or impersonate a relative in urgent need of cash. They often target older adults using information gleaned from social posts. They insist on secrecy and pressure the victim to send money right away — a major red flag.
Utility Scams
A scammer may call claiming your electricity, gas or water will be shut off immediately unless you pay. They’ll instruct you to pay in cash or send a wire — untraceable methods — to settle the bill. Small businesses are frequent targets of these scams. Always contact your utility provider directly before acting on such demands.
IRS or Other Government Agency Scams
You might get a call telling you to pay the IRS or Social Security Administration immediately or face jail time. That’s false. Regardless of your feelings about the IRS, they don’t arrest people in that manner. Be especially wary if the caller asks to be paid with gift cards, cash or wire transfers.
Payment App Scams
Fraudsters may pose as representatives from Venmo, Zelle, PayPal, Cash App or another payment service, claiming they need you to reconnect a bank account or card. They can send links to look-alike sites. Never give sensitive details over the phone; always visit the official site directly to verify.
Tech Support Scams
A frightening pop-up on your computer or a phone alert might instruct you to contact tech support using provided links, or warn that remote scanning is required. Don’t allow that. It’s unlikely a legitimate tech company will reach out that way, and they would never demand payment to resolve an issue remotely.
Natural Disaster Scams
Scammers prey on people in crisis. After hurricanes, floods or fires they may pose as helpers, claiming to be from insurers, FEMA or other agencies and request personal data to expedite emergency funds — then charge to speed the process. That’s not how legitimate relief works.
Shopping Scams
Shoppers of every age fall for these schemes. It could be an email that looks like it’s from a retailer. Example:
To show our gratitude to our loyal customer, we made rewards for them. If you received this email, that means that you’ve been selected to be rewarded. Take 30 seconds to complete the steps and confirm your reward. Reward: iPhone 14 Pro
The device is “free,” but there’s a catch: you must submit your credit card details to cover taxes.
These scams may promise gift cards, trips, discounts and other enticements to harvest your financial information. Expect them to spike around holidays.
Banking Scams
Some schemes are classic and familiar. A foreign “prince” offers a fortune, or someone claims they’ve won an overseas lottery but need your help to collect it. The catch: pay fees first.
Sometimes a fraudster will send a cashier’s check for deposit and ask you to return part of the funds; the check later bounces. By then you’ve sent money and could even face allegations of fraudulent intent.
Dating Scams
It’s particularly cruel to exploit someone’s emotions. Scammers build flattering fake profiles, gain trust and eventually request funds. Some claim they possess an intimate video and threaten exposure. Fake dating sites also harvest personal and financial data. Many victims feel too embarrassed to report the deceit.
How to Avoid Being Scammed
There are many other schemes involving job offers, mortgage and student loan payments, debt relief, home repairs and more. If something sounds unbelievably advantageous, research it thoroughly first. There are always warning signs.
Scammers are after specific sensitive details: financial account numbers, passwords, birthdates, Social Security numbers or credit card data. Companies and government agencies use secure portals for such information.
Never submit sensitive details to a site without https in its URL. Verify the web address to ensure it’s the correct site and not a mimic. Don’t share PINs or passwords, and avoid reusing the same password across multiple accounts.
Scammers often create a sense of urgency to prevent you from checking their claims. If you’re being rushed to act right away, that’s a potential sign of fraud.
A legitimate company will never ask you to pay via wire transfer, cash or gift cards, nor will they request your tax refund be sent to them.
If You’ve Been Scammed
First, report the scam to local law enforcement and the Federal Trade Commission’s Fraud Report portal.
Change passwords if you suspect they were compromised. Contact your bank if your debit card or account details were exposed, and notify your credit card issuer if unauthorized charges appear. If you used a wire transfer or gift card, reach out to those companies as soon as possible.
If the scam happened online, scan your computer with antivirus software to remove malware. Consider contacting a credit reporting service to monitor any effects on your credit score.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Visit the FTC’s Report Fraud Page and notify your local police.
Be wary if anyone requests your Social Security number, bank account details, passwords, or insists on payment via cash, wire transfer or gift cards.
Common fraud types include identity theft, phishing, online shopping scams, banking fraud, tech support scams and more.
People in their 30s report scams most often.
You can attempt to recover funds through banks or companies involved, but reimbursement isn’t always certain.
Contributor Maria Donovan writes about personal finance and consumer issues. She previously owned a bookstore in St. Petersburg, Florida, and has hosted a local arts radio program for many years.
