Kansas
Kansas cyber experts warn against toll pass smishing scam
KANSAS CITY, Kan. — How many times have you driven the Kansas Turnpike and thought you forgot to pay the toll? Cybercriminals know it’s a common mistake and are using that to their advantage.
If you’ve gotten an E-ZPass collection text in the last few weeks, you’re not alone.
Winnie West, the Kansas cyber security advisor for the Cybersecurity & Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) said their office has received dozens of reports of scammers posing as toll collectors from Kansas and other surrounding states.
“We just can’t keep up with it because ransom as a service is a huge thing,” West said.
The texts claim the user has unpaid toll debts and threatens serious consequences if the user doesn’t take action by a certain date. The texts also include a link to pay the ‘outstanding balance’, prompting victims to put in credit card information.
KSHB 41 News
“For somebody that doesn’t really know how to look for those specific things, they would have automatically clicked because of the urgency with how the message came across,” West said.
West said even she and her family got the smishing text.
Jack McCormick
“They asked me, ‘Hey mom, what do we need to do with this?”‘ West said.
She told them to not click on the message.
You should be on the lookout for red flags, like a number with a strange area code, the sender is from an unknown email address or anyone claiming to be a government agency demanding money.
“Don’t click on the link,” West said. “Don’t click on anything until you verify that that is truly a valid request.”
Smishing scams are becoming more common nationwide, mainly because everything in the 21st century relies on data.
West explained scammers can get real phone numbers through the dark web, data leaks and even social media.
“Through those means is really how they were able to collect and then target those numbers,” West said. “Sometimes, they’re just spamming those numbers.”
Scams can be annoying at best, but malicious at worst. If you already clicked the link, West explained you should contact your bank, reset your passwords and then report it to the CISA.
“There will always be a person that will fall victim to those type of activities, unfortunately,” West said. “If you’re not aware of what to do and how to protect yourself from those type of cyber criminals, it can be pretty devastating.”
If you think you have been targeted with a smishing or phishing scam, you can find resources with CISA.
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KSHB 41 reporter Isabella Ledonne covers issues surrounding government accountability and solutions. Share your story with Isabella.
In early 2026, the Kansas state legislature passed SB 244, a law which prohibits transgender people from using public restrooms on government property that align with their gender identity and establishes a private right of action that allows anyone who suspects someone is transgender and in violation of the law to sue that person for “damages” totaling $1,000.
The law also invalidates state-issued driver’s licenses with updated gender markers that reflect the carrier’s gender identity. In February 2026, transgender people across the state received letters from the state Department of Revenue’s Division of Vehicles informing them that their driver’s licenses “will no longer be valid,” effective immediately. SB 244 also prohibits transgender Kansans – or those born in Kansas – from updating the gender marker on state-issued birth certificates and driver’s licenses in the future.
The same day SB 244 went into effect, the American Civil Liberties Union, the ACLU of Kansas, and Ballard Spahr LLP filed a lawsuit challenging SB 244 in the District Court of Douglas County on behalf of two transgender men who had their driver’s licenses invalidated under the law. The lawsuit charges that SB 244 violates the Kansas Constitution’s protections for personal autonomy, privacy, equality under the law, due process, and freedom of speech.
“The invalidation of state-issued IDs threatens to out transgender people against their will every time they apply for a job, rent an apartment, or interact with police,” said Harper Seldin, Senior Staff Attorney for the ACLU’s LGBTQ & HIV Rights Project. “Taken as a whole, SB 244 is a transparent attempt to deny transgender people autonomy over their own identities and push them out of public life altogether.”
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (KCTV) – A Kansas City man was sentenced in federal court for his role in a drug trafficking conspiracy and possession of an illegal firearm.
According to the United States District Court for the Western District of Missouri, 22-year-old Antoine R. Gillum was sentenced to 10 years in federal prison without parole.
His sentencing stems from a June 2024 incident in a metro gas station. KCPD investigators contacted Gillum inside and found that he had discarded a 9 mm pistol in an aisle between the merchandise. He also discarded a pill bottle containing multiple illegal substances: cocaine base, oxycodone/acetaminophen and oxycodone.
Officers searched the vehicle Gillum had arrived in and found approximately 32 grams of cocaine base.
On May 6, 2025, Gillum pleaded guilty to one count each of possession with intent to distribute cocaine and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime.
This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jessica Jennings. It’s a part of ‘Operation Take Back America,’ a nationwide Department of Justice initiative to eliminate cartels and transnational criminal organizations.
No further information has been released.
Copyright 2026 KCTV. All rights reserved.
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (KCTV) – A crash near a busy highway killed two people and injured two others.
Emergency crews responded to the crash at U.S. 71 Highway and Meyer Boulevard around 12:40 p.m. on Monday, March 2.
When crews arrived they determined four cars were involved in the crash.
Police are investigating how the crash happened.
Copyright 2026 KCTV. All rights reserved.
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