Beware! A scam targeted at Linkt toll road customers has hit over 300,000 Australians
- Replies 30
The internet has always been a double-edged sword.
The rise of the internet gave way to online shopping. It also improved communication, making it easier to connect with our friends and family from across the country, but it has also given scammers a larger playground.
That's a lesson that over 300,000 customers of Linkt, one of the biggest Australian companies in the toll road industry, have learnt the hard way.
The scam started with customers receiving a text message from someone posing as Linkt, claiming that the customer had unpaid toll fees. One text read: 'Past Due Final Reminder: Please be aware of your last unpaid toll trip.'
'Please pay your toll immediately to avoid fines.'
The text then directs the recipients to a fake Linkt website, where they can 'resolve the matter' within two business days under the threat of a fine.
However, it wasn’t only Linkt customers that received such texts, it was reported that many non-customers have received the messages as well.
In light of the scam, a Transurban spokesperson gave a statement saying: 'We are aware of an SMS phishing scam that is using the Linkt and Transurban brands.'
They reportedly have contacted over five million customers and shared information on how to protect themselves against such scams and how to recognise fake Linkt accounts and messages.
'We will never ask you to reply to an email or SMS with your financial information or personal information,' they assured.
'If we need you to manage your account, we will always direct you to log into your account directly via linkt.com.au or the Linkt app.'
'Our cybersecurity team is working with telecommunications providers to identify and block phone numbers sending these texts, and in the last year, Linkt customers have reported over 335,000 scam messages to us.’
'As a result, we’ve worked with telecommunications providers to block over 20,000 unique mobile numbers and over 1900 fraudulent URLs.’
'If you receive a message from someone claiming to be Linkt or Transurban that doesn’t seem quite right, don’t click on the link.'
According to the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC), Australians have reportedly lost $74 million to online scams in the previous year.
Furthermore, the ACCC warns everyone to be very wary of any website that:
Members, did you also receive a similar text from Linkt? How about from other service providers? Share your experience with us in the comments below!
The rise of the internet gave way to online shopping. It also improved communication, making it easier to connect with our friends and family from across the country, but it has also given scammers a larger playground.
That's a lesson that over 300,000 customers of Linkt, one of the biggest Australian companies in the toll road industry, have learnt the hard way.
The scam started with customers receiving a text message from someone posing as Linkt, claiming that the customer had unpaid toll fees. One text read: 'Past Due Final Reminder: Please be aware of your last unpaid toll trip.'
'Please pay your toll immediately to avoid fines.'
Over 300,000 Linkt customers received a text scam regarding unpaid bills. Image source: pvproductions on Freepik.
The text then directs the recipients to a fake Linkt website, where they can 'resolve the matter' within two business days under the threat of a fine.
However, it wasn’t only Linkt customers that received such texts, it was reported that many non-customers have received the messages as well.
In light of the scam, a Transurban spokesperson gave a statement saying: 'We are aware of an SMS phishing scam that is using the Linkt and Transurban brands.'
They reportedly have contacted over five million customers and shared information on how to protect themselves against such scams and how to recognise fake Linkt accounts and messages.
'We will never ask you to reply to an email or SMS with your financial information or personal information,' they assured.
'If we need you to manage your account, we will always direct you to log into your account directly via linkt.com.au or the Linkt app.'
'Our cybersecurity team is working with telecommunications providers to identify and block phone numbers sending these texts, and in the last year, Linkt customers have reported over 335,000 scam messages to us.’
'As a result, we’ve worked with telecommunications providers to block over 20,000 unique mobile numbers and over 1900 fraudulent URLs.’
'If you receive a message from someone claiming to be Linkt or Transurban that doesn’t seem quite right, don’t click on the link.'
According to the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC), Australians have reportedly lost $74 million to online scams in the previous year.
Furthermore, the ACCC warns everyone to be very wary of any website that:
- Sells items at significantly lower prices compared to usual and other websites
- Has unusual payment methods such as gift cards or Bitcoin
- Only shows positive reviews or reviews that lack detail
- Has urgent warnings or error messages that ask you to click on a link
- Has advertisements that would give you access to quick and easy money with little or no effort and risk at all
.png){kind=icon}
can’t be bothered reporting them
