Those real-looking FasTrak texts? They really are a scam – NBC Bay Area

Scammers apparently don’t take time off during the holidays. They’re bombarding Bay Area cell phones with a barrage of bogus texts about FasTrak—again.

The scam message says you owe FasTrak money because you recently used a toll lane. You’ll be asked to pay up “to avoid excessive fees and potential legal action.”

Several viewers, including Jackie in Willow Glen and Alex in Fremont, put the text on our radar. On Monday, FasTrak confirmed to NBC Bay Area that the message is false.

FasTrak representative John Goodwin suspected that the text is likely just a ploy to get your credit card information by crooks looking to make much larger purchases than a small toll.

The red flags? First, the phone number is from the Philippines. Second, the link for payment is not for Bay Area FasTrak.

NBC Bay Area first alerted you to scammers four months ago when a similar message circulated. The real FasTrak told us it doesn’t text people about billing issues.

“The bottom line is here in the Bay Area, FasTrak is not going to ask for payment via text with a link to a website, period,” Goodwin said.

The The FBI has said it has seen tax fraud like this in several states. You can report false toll bills to FB at ic3.gov.

You can also tell us. You can complete our consumer complaint form online.