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.

“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.

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.