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E-ZPass Scam Has Targeted 2K Drivers: What To Know In MD

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E-ZPass Scam Has Targeted 2K Drivers: What To Know In MD


MARYLAND — Scammers pretending to be E-ZPass toll road collectors are swindling drivers out of money. The Maryland Transportation Authority on Tuesday warned drivers about the scam.

The scammers are sending texts claiming to be “E-ZPass Toll Services.” The texts direct recipients to click a link to pay an outstanding toll balance to avoid a late fee.

This message is fraudulent. The toll account information provided in these texts is neither valid nor accurate.

E-ZPass warned customers to delete the texts immediately and told them to not click on any links in the text messages. Anybody who clicked the link and completed the form should immediately contact their financial institution and notify E-ZPass of any erroneous information posted to their accounts.

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“Scam attacks through emails and text messaging are on the rise in our country and protecting the safety of E-ZPass customer information is of paramount importance to us,” E-ZPass Group Executive Director PJ Wilkins said in a press release. “We will continue to work with our partnering states to alert our customers of any criminal activity that places them at risk, and we encourage E-ZPass customers to be vigilant in ensuring that their personal and financial information is not compromised by falling prey to these fraudulent schemes.”

The FBI recently issued a public service announcement on the scam.

The FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center has received over 2,000 complaints from at least three undisclosed states about the claim.

Officials think the scam is moving from state-to-state with nearly identical language and similar “outstanding toll amounts.”

The phone number and the link provided, which impersonates the state’s toll service name, seems to change between states.

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E-ZPass customers who receive the text should file a complaint with the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center at ic3.gov.

Maryland E-ZPass customers wishing to pay their real balances should contact DriveEzMD at 1-888-321-6824. A live chat is available at driveezmd.com Monday through Friday from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. and Saturdays from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m.

In-person Customer Service Centers are open Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Extended hours are in effect Saturdays from 8 a.m. to noon and Thursdays from 8:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. A list of center locations is posted at driveezmd.com/contact-us.



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Around Town: Maryland Home and Garden Show returns to the State Fairgrounds

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Around Town: Maryland Home and Garden Show returns to the State Fairgrounds




Around Town: Maryland Home and Garden Show returns to the State Fairgrounds – CBS Baltimore

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The Maryland Home and Garden Show returns to the State Fairgrounds.

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No. 6-seed Maryland women’s basketball stunned by No. 11-seed Oregon, 73-68, in Big Ten Tournament second round

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No. 6-seed Maryland women’s basketball stunned by No. 11-seed Oregon, 73-68, in Big Ten Tournament second round


No. 6-seed Maryland women’s basketball had a chance to earn the final shot Thursday night.

Oluchi Okananwa drew an and-one opportunity to potentially cut the deficit to one point. But she missed the free throw.

No. 11-seed Oregon went the other way and head coach Brenda Frese decided not to foul. With 4.4 seconds remaining, guard Avary Cain knocked down a 3-pointer to end Maryland’s run in the Big Ten Tournament after just one game with a 73-68 loss in Indianapolis.

“It felt like deja vu,” Frese said.

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Just like the last time it faced Oregon — in College Park in late January — Maryland led by a slim margin heading into the fourth quarter.

That night, the Terps were outscored 24-11 in the fourth. It was 21-11 in favor of Oregon on Thursday.

“They just made a few more plays than we did late game that sent us home,” Frese said.

Maryland’s offense didn’t come through when it needed it most — it made just one 3-pointer on 15 attempts on the night.

The Terps relied on interior scoring in the first half. Of its first 23 points, 22 came from inside the paint — the only other score was a free throw. The game finished with Maryland scoring 48 points in the paint. The other 15 points came from free throws.

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But that was too one-dimensional offensively. The Terps attempted 21 layups and seven 3-pointers in the first half. It finished with 33 layups and 16 3-pointers, and made 20 layups compared to one 3-pointer.

As the first half progressed, Oregon adjusted to take away that gameplan. The second quarter started with an 11-2 Ducks run — they simply found more ways to score. Maryland could not find scoring outside of the paint or the charity stripe — its only 3-pointer came with 1:50 remained in the first half.

The Ducks weren’t dominating from deep, either; the game consisted mostly of back-and-forth layups. Still, the lack of success from beyond the arc was relatively uncharted territory for head coach Brenda Frese.

Early on, the Terps were overly cautious in avoiding foul trouble. But it backfired.

Oluchi Okananwa started the game on 3-of-3 shooting and scored six of Maryland’s first eight points. She has dealt with foul trouble in recent games. So Frese opted to have her sit for the remaining six minutes of the first quarter after committing a foul.

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But amid the intention to avoid foul trouble, Yarden Garzon committed two quick fouls early in the second quarter.

The referees continued to call a tight game in the third quarter. Okananwa got up to three fouls, and so did Isi Ozzy-Momodu. The Terps were in the exact position they were looking to avoid.

Due to its cautiousness regarding foul trouble, Maryland’s rotations were altered. Breanna Williams had some extended playing time — though it started out well, it turned sour quickly. She made an early layup, but also had some defensive lapses and looked largely out of place.

Maryland relied on its freshmen for 35 collective minutes in the first half. They were impactful, but not as much as its senior leadership, which was hampered by foul trouble.

Okananwa finished with 27 points and was Maryland’s main workhorse. It didn’t end up being enough, but her ability to drive inside gave her team a fighting chance.

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“Just be aggressive. Be my normal self. A lot of good things happen for me when I drive,” Okananwa said. “Whether it’s me getting to the line or finishing the bucket. So that was my mentality. Just be aggressive.”

With a loss in the first game of the Big Ten Tournament, what seemed like a sure thing that Maryland would host NCAA Tournament games now looks in jeopardy.

1. A shocking loss. Since joining the Big Ten, this is the first time Maryland failed to reach the quarterfinal round of the conference tournament. Last year, the Terps lost their first game but had a double-bye; this was their worst outing ever in the Big Ten Tournament.

2. What now? With the Terps’ run in Indianapolis now over, they will wait to see if they will host in the NCAA Tournament. Maryland was not the only Big Ten team slated to host that lost on Thursday — Michigan State did too. It remains to be seen what that means for the Terps.

“It shouldn’t be judged off of one game, and I think our conference prepares you night in and night out,” Frese said. “I think you should be rewarded for your body of work.”

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3. Garzon’s bad game. Maryland needed more from Garzon on Thursday and simply didn’t get it, as she shot 1-of-11 from the field and 1-of-9 from deep. If she made one or two of those shots, there’s a good chance Maryland would have won.



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Maryland AG Brown announces $1.99M settlement with LifeBridge Health over hospital fees

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Maryland AG Brown announces .99M settlement with LifeBridge Health over hospital fees


Maryland Attorney General Anthony Brown announced Thursday that his office has reached a settlement with LifeBridge Health, Inc. that will provide nearly $2 million in restitution to certain patients who paid outpatient facility fees before new state notice requirements took effect.

AG Brown said the Consumer Protection Division entered into a settlement agreement with LifeBridge concerning hospital fees known as outpatient facility fees that were charged prior to July 1, 2021, when the Facility Fee Right-to-Know Act took effect and established standards for notices about such fees.

The Consumer Protection Division alleged that consumers were not adequately informed they would be subject to the facility fees. LifeBridge denied that patients had been inadequately informed, but agreed to pay $1,985,198.90 in restitution.

ALSO READ | Maryland families ‘can’t even imagine’ impact of Gov. Moore’s disability funding cuts

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The restitution is for patients who paid out-of-pocket for fees charged by certain LifeBridge hospital clinics for clinic services received before July 1, 2021, when those services also were available at a non-hospital facility owned or operated by a LifeBridge affiliate where the consumer would not have incurred a facility fee.

Eligible patients should expect to receive a refund check from LifeBridge over the next six months, according to AG office.

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Consumers with questions about the settlement can call 410-576-6571.

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