Y's Men Scam Alert -- April 18, 2025

The Scam Attempts Never Stop!

Here is a text message going out looking for highway toll payment. It’s phishing for your payment information. Delete it immediately. These also come from the USPS and other agencies and none of them have your phone number, DELETE. Check this out:

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Fri 4/18/2025 11:22 AM

Toll Violation Notice:

This is your final notice regarding the unpaid toll balance on your account. You must settle the balance within the next 12 hours to avoid severe penalties.

Unpaid Balance: $3.99

Due Date: April 18, 2025

Failure to pay within this time frame will result in the following:

1. Immediate addition of late payment fees to your balance
2. Suspension of your vehicle registration by the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV)
3. Collection actions, including a negative report to your credit file

Please make your payment promptly to avoid these severe consequences and protect your driving privileges.

Pay Now:

https://mass.gov-dkie.win/us

If the link fails, reply with \'Y\', exit the SMS, and reopen it to activate the link, or copy and paste it directly into your browser to complete your payment.

This is your last opportunity. Pay now to avoid irreversible consequences.

Sent from my iPhone.

E-mails are going out every day from the IRS and Social Security Administration….they are not real, delete them, don’t click on them. The only legitimate e-mail address from the Social Security Administration is https:/ssa.gov/ Scammers are using .gov1 and other very subtle changes to the legitimate address, watch for it. Here’s an example:

From Y's Man Mark Mathias….

This link tells you about websites that offer file converters that steal your passwords and banking information. This link is real and safe; check it out:

https://www.tomsguide.com/computing/malware-adware/fbi-issues-warning-over-free-online-file-converters-that-infect-your-pc-with-malware

The Westport Police Department has an excellent scam detection and recovery support service. If you have been scammed, contact the WPD immediately at 203-341-6000.



Y's Man Alan Booth reminds you to look in your email for these obvious indications of a scam:

1.    The sender’s e-mail has misspellings, poor grammar.

2.    The e-mail has variations that differ from a known company domain.

3.    Avoid urgent requests or attachments from unknown senders

4.    Hover over links to verify that their credentials are legitimate before clicking on them.

5.    Avoid messages with generic greetings such as "Dear Customer.”

6.    Don't respond to messages asking for sensitive details until you verify that they are legitimate.

7.     Never click on embedded links redirecting you to unexpected websites; always verify first.

8.    Does e-mail language seem “fishy?”

9.    E-mails from friends may be fake because of malware and cyber-attacks; verify first.

10. Never respond to requests for favors or to "pay" bills with Gift Cards.

11. More and more scam phone callers do not have accents. If you are not expecting the call, verify first.

12. Many phone call scams originate from legitimate phone numbers, like banks. If you are not positive it's legitimate, hang up and call your bank.

IF YOU ARE NOT CERTAIN OF THE SENDER OR DID NOT EXPECT TO RECEIVE THE PHONE CALL OR E-MAIL, DO NOT RESPOND....VERIFY FIRST.