INDIANAPOLIS, Indiana — Late on Monday night, strange email messages begin to flood the inboxes of many Indiana residents from government email addresses. These emails, claim recipients owe unpaid tolls, but officials confirm dem na scams.
Di scam emails flow into newsrooms, raising concerns about der cyber safety. Recipients notice messages dey come from what look like legitimate state email accounts, but dem na clearly spam. Di emails urge people to click on links to pay, claiming if dem no pay, dem go face late fees. Dey carry subject line wey say ‘TxTag Account Suspension Warning.’
As at di time of this report, officials from Indiana Department of Technology (IOT) don clarify say dis scam happen due to hacked contractor account. Though some agencies don moved away from GovDelivery, di platform for government email, some messages still dey reflect di name of former governor, Eric Holcomb, instead of di current governor, Mike Braun, wey don take office since January.
“Di State no dey send any unpaid toll notifications via text or email,” one IOT official talk. “IOT dey work with di company wey deliver di messages to ensure no more communications go out.” Officials don advise residents to ignore dem emails and avoid clicking any links wey dey inside.
Di Indiana Supreme Court also release a statement warning against di malicious emails circulating from state agencies, reminding everyone say dem no dey use GovDelivery anymore. Dem advise residents to stay alert and report any suspicious messages immediately.
For individual stories, people like Becca Lovern from Lawrenceburg, share how di scam messages dey cause worry. Becca receive multiple texts overnight about unpaid tolls, but she sabi say dem no be true because she no fit remember driving on a toll road. “Once I see dat na government, I dey pay attention small,” she talk.
Cybersecurity expert from Indiana University, Isaak, share concern about di scale of dis incident, emphasizing say cybersecurity important but e dey often treated lightly. “If cybersecurity na afterthought, e fit bring itself to di forefront,” Isaak explain.
Residents are urged to be cautious and verify any suspicious messages. IOT don assure di public say despite di hacking, no current state systems don compromise. If you receive unsolicited emails or texts about unpaid tolls, simply delete dem.
To stay informed, follow official communication from di State of Indiana on social media for updates. Di trend of unpaid toll scams don increase recently, affecting many residents across di states.
In recent incidents, neighboring states also fall victim to similar scams, with Ohio Turnpike issuing warnings because residents dey receive fraudulent texts about unpaid tolls.
Di Federal Trade Commission don highlight best practices for avoiding scam texts, advising people make dem no click any links in unexpected messages, and report any suspicious communication to authorities.
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