Aussie drivers targeted by Linkt toll road scam

Aussie drivers are being warned to stay vigilant after the resurgence of a scam targeting customers of the service Linkt, which allows drivers to pay their toll notices online. Scammers will send messages pretending to be toll road operators, usually stating they are contacting on behalf of Linkt, and that you have an overdue toll notice or insufficient funds. 

Over 300,000 customers have reportedly received a message from a scammer mentioning their connection to Linkt to appear more genuine, or flat out stating you have overdue toll notices on your account that need to be paid. 

Linkt says their cybersecurity team is working with telecommunications providers to identify and block phone numbers sending the texts. 

^{Images: Linkt.com.au}

Phishing scams can come in the form of text messages, phone calls, emails, or messages on social media, with the goal of tricking you into volunteering your sensitive information. Scams like these are designed to make you think they’re from a trusted company like Linkt, but you’ll find that clicking on the link provided in the text will lead you to a fake, albeit convincing site that will steal your personal and financial information. 

There were 14,585 reports to the consumer watchdog about fake road toll messages last year, with Aussies losing over $660,000 to the scam.

“The ACCC has seen an increase of 469 per cent in reported losses from phishing scams in 2022,” said ACCC deputy chair Catriona Lowe.

Ms Lowe estimated that only around 13 per cent of people report to Scamwatch, so the actual losses are much higher.

Once you know what to look for in these scam texts, it becomes much easier to avoid them. A text from a reputable company like Linkt will not have strange wording or grammatical errors like the message above. 

Linkt provided some useful information about the scam on their website, urging customers to avoid clicking on any links, and not providing any payment details to links that do not directly lead to their website. If customers have any concerns about the legitimacy of the SMS or email they’ve received, they should log into the Linkt GO app or their website to confirm any suspicions about overdue toll payments. 

After reporting the incident to Linkt, report it to Scamwatch so you can prevent other drivers from falling suspect to the same scam.