Pennsylvania
‘Smishing’ scam targets people who drive on the Pennsylvania Turnpike, and some who don’t
Why having identity theft protection is so important
Identity theft is probably one of the most costly things that can happen to you, especially if you leave it unresolved for a while.
A simple two-sentence text has been popping up on people’s smart phones this year, informing them they owe money for previous trips along the Pennsylvania Turnpike — even if they haven’t driven on the toll road.
“To prevent further fees totaling $106.00, please settle the due amount of $10.60,” one text read, before listing a website where the person could supposedly pay the overdue bill.
It’s a scam. The texts are not coming from the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission and some of the people who receive them have never traveled on the turnpike.
If you click on the link, it will take you to a bogus website that asks for your credit card information in order to steal your identity, said Crispin Havener, a Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission spokesman.
The problem started in March when residents in Illinois began receiving the texts, supposedly from the Illinois Tollway. Scammers illegally obtained random lists of phone numbers, then sent texts to those numbers claiming to be from a particular state’s toll or turnpike commission, depending on the area codes, Havener said.
“It’s not a security breach,” Havener said. “There are no issues with our customer accounts.”
What is smishing?
Federal Bureau of Investigation officials call it “smishing” because the cybercriminals use short message service, or SMS, to go “phishing” for people’s credit card information.
The FBI Internet Crime Complaint Center received more than 2,000 complaints from at least three different states in the month after these texts first appeared on people’s smart phones.
“We saw that initial batch of texts in March and April, then last month we received a new bunch of complaints, and people seem to be receiving them again now,” Havener said.
What should I do if I get one of these texts?
Anyone who receives one of these texts should following these steps, according to the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center:
- File a complaint with the center at www.ic3.gov.
- Check your account using the toll service’s legitimate website. In Pennsylvania, it’s www.paturnpike.com/e-zpass.
- Contact the toll service’s customer service phone number. In Pennsylvania, it’s 877-736-6727.
- Delete any smishing texts received.
- If you clicked any link or provided your information, take efforts to secure your personal information and financial accounts. Dispute any unfamiliar charges.
Contact David Bruce at dbruce@timesnews.com. Follow him on X @ETNBruce.
Pennsylvania
Pa. House committee advances bill to require radon testing and mitigation in schools
Pennsylvania
Suspect arrested for shooting near basketball court in Elkins Park, Pa.
ABINGTON TWP., Pa. (WPVI) — Police have arrested a suspect who they say fired shots at a vehicle near a crowded basketball court in Montgomery County.
Jamell Whitmore, 18, of King of Prussia, Pennsylvania, was arrested on Thursday.
The shooting happened on March 22 near a basketball court on the 300 block of Cadwalader Avenue in Elkins Park, Pennsylvania.
Shooting near Elkins Park basketball courts sends stray bullet into home
Police said multiple callers reported hearing gunfire around 8:15 p.m. and witnessed a large group of people run from the area behind the McKinley Firehouse.
As a vehicle drove by, one of the men in the group, identified by police as Whitmore, ran off to the parking lot to retrieve a gun and began firing multiple shots towards the vehicle.
Police say it’s unclear if the vehicle was hit, but one of the bullets struck a nearby home.
No one in the home was injured.
Police said no innocent bystanders or those involved in the shooting were injured.
The motive for the shooting remains unknown.
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Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania-born indie rockers Tigers Jaw return with new album release
The chorus for the song “Primary Colors” was something Walsh wrote years ago, with the song’s outro originally being used as a verse.
“And something just wasn’t quite clicking, and everything that I tried felt kind of forced,” Walsh said. “We were all just like, ‘Yeah, there’s something here, but it’s not quite doing what I think it has the potential to do.’”
The band then started toying with the dynamics between the verses and the chorus.
“It just unlocked something for me in the idea where I was like, ‘Wow, this kind of quiet, loud, quiet, loud format really works well with this song,’” Walsh said. “So yeah, it just transformed it instantly into an idea that felt a lot stronger.”
The album was recorded with Grammy-winning producer Will Yip, a relationship still budding from their 2014 album, “Charmer.” Collins said the new album’s sound is “as true as we could be to playing the record live.”
“I wasn’t as tied to the tones that have classically been Tigers Jaw because I think at this point, I’ve just come to this realization that no matter what, if we’re making it, it is Tigers Jaw,” Collins said.
The new album has a “palpable energy” that shares the same spirit as their earlier records, Walsh said. And while “tastes evolve,” the band followed “what feels good.”
“This is the best representation of the band at the time, and it’s almost like a snapshot of us as artists, as people, as a creative entity over this time in our career,” he said.
“Lost On You” is out now through Hopeless Records and is available on vinyl, CD and various streaming platforms.
On April 16, Tigers Jaw will perform at Union Transfer at 8 p.m. They will be supported by Hot Flash Heat Wave and Creeks, the solo project of Balance and Composure vocalist and guitarist Jon Simmons, who is from Doylestown, Pennsylvania.
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