Monroe County Sheriff’s Office deputies joined the list of law enforcement agencies warning the public about text messaging scams.
On Thursday, the deputies warned that scammers using scare tactics have been impersonating representatives of Florida’s prepaid road toll programs.
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Under the guise of “E-Z pass or SunPass” toll collections, the scammers are stealing personal and financial information from their victims.
The deputies’ suggestion: “If someone contacts you asking for money, purporting to be from a law enforcement agency, any government organization or utility company, a bank, a credit card company, and so forth ... contact the organization yourself.”
If the message appears to be from a loved one in distress, deputies ask potential victims to make attempts to contact them for verification.
The deputies’ reminder: “A sure sign of a scam is anyone asking for payment for anything via gift cards or Bitcoin.”