L

It is estimated that 98 percent of Americans own a cellphone. For those individuals, text message scams have become a part of everyday life with scammers attempting to steal personal information and money from the unwary.

Also known as smishing, text message scams are numerous and vary in content – missing delivery notifications from UPS, the bank closing your account, messages from the IRS regarding your social security number or other government agencies, claims that you’ve won a prize, statements that your debit or credit card has been locked, etc. That list could go on and on. One more has been recently added: a toll scam text.

If you’ve received a text message that claims you have unpaid toll road charges, it’s a nationwide scam that has begun targeting Tennesseans, says the Tennessee Department of Transportation, even though we have no toll roads.

“We want to make sure people understand as of right now, there are no toll lanes, toll roads, anything in Tennessee that they would need to be paying a bill on,” said Rebekah Hammonds with the Tennessee Department of Transportation. She received the text a few weeks ago, and added that others within the department have also received it.

While TDOT stressed that Tennessee has no toll lanes or roads at this time, in coming years, “choice lanes” have been planned along Interstate 24 between Murfreesboro and Nashville. Those lanes are said to provide drivers with a faster lane if they pay a fee.

Most, if not all, text scams have one thing in common: a hyperlink. Never click on hyperlinks in unexpected or suspicious messages. Even if you do not provide your information, merely clicking on it could download malware or add you phone number to a list that is then sold to others seeking to use it for nefarious purposes. It is best to delete those text messages immediately.