Over the last couple of days people have reported receiving email from the EZ Pass toll system. EZ Pass is a highway toll road provider that operates in the North Eastern United States. This includes such major metropolitan areas as New York, Boston, Newark and Trenton, New Jersey, Philadelphia and Washington, DC. Other states affected include Maryland, Virginia, and Delaware.The emails are extremely good copies using all the company’s colors and fonts. The emails are nothing more than phishing attempts. Copying emails is a favorite tactic of scammers and you should be on the look out of more of these.
Users of EZ Pass and other toll services know that toll road agencies can impose stiff fines for violators who use roads and bridges without paying. As a result people may fall into the scammers trap and click on the link just to make sure.
That is where the trouble begins. The link directs the victims to www . ruckon . pl. The spaces make sure you don’t accidentally click on the link. Once the victims click on the link the site returns a ZIP with an .EXE or directly loads an .EXE. .EXE means that you have an executable file on your hands and it most likely contains malware.
“Please be advised this is not an authorized communication from E-ZPass, the New York State Thruway Authority or any other toll agency associated with E-ZPass,” said a statement from the Thruway Authority. “We advise you not to open or respond to such a message should you receive one.”
Authorities are warning customers that the E-ZPass Service Center does not send out email invoices for payment. If you owe money on your E-ZPass the E-ZPass service center will send an invoice through the US Postal Service for payment.