You’ve probably seen it: a text that says something like, “You have an overdue toll balance. Click here to avoid late fees.” It looks official, urgent and believable enough to make you think maybe it’s legit.

That text is part of a very sophisticated scam run by Chinese criminal gangs, and they’ve already made over a billion dollars ripping people off across the U.S., per the WSJ (paywall link).

🕵️ How the scam works

Here’s the pipeline these gangs use to steal your information and your money.

1. U.S.-based devices

Scammers set up “SIM farms” here in the States. Picture a folding table stacked with dozens of phones and SIM cards blasting out 300,000 fake toll-payment texts a day. 

One setup can impersonate 1,000 phone numbers. They spoof area codes to make these texts look like they’re from your state toll authority.

2. Fake sites

Click the link and you’re taken to a website that looks exactly like your real toll agency, down to the logo and colors. You’re asked to enter your credit card info, your name and one-time security code. 

Do it and you’ve handed over everything they need to go shopping on your dime.

3. U.S. “mules”

It gets darker. U.S.-based gig workers, often recruited on Telegram, are paid 12 cents per $100 to take those stolen card numbers and buy iPhones, luxury purses and other high-ticket items, but mostly gift cards. 

Gift cards are nearly untraceable, and the money moves fast and clean. Those goods are then shipped back to China, flipped for cash and funneled straight into organized crime and gangs.

🔍 Why this matters to you

These scammers are counting on you to be busy, distracted or curious enough to click. That’s all it takes. Here’s what I tell you all the time:

Never click a link in a text from a number you don’t know.

If you think you might owe a toll or fine, go directly to the official site. Type it in yourself.

And tell your friends and family, especially older adults or anyone who might not second-guess these things.

That unpaid toll text? Now you know it’s not spam. It’s the entry point to a billion-dollar global operation. Delete the text. And never let your phone be the start of someone else’s payday.

📣 Use the share buttons below to spread the word. This scam is slick, convincing and dangerous. The more people know what to look out for, the fewer victims there’ll be. So take a second to share this story with the people you care about. It might save someone from a very expensive mistake.
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