Photo provided
Pictured is a text that has been sent by scammers to Ohio residents, including those in Washington County, claiming a person has unpaid tolls they need to pay.
The Washington County Sheriff’s office has received calls recently concerning scams involving someone pretending to be from the Sheriff’s Office and from the Ohio Turnpike and Infrastructure Commission.
“The Washington County Sheriff’s Office has received five phone calls (July 20) from Washington County residents stating they have received a call from a male individual claiming he is an officer with the Washington County Sheriff’s Office,” a media release said.
According to the release, the phone number used in the scam is 740-376-7070 – which is the Sheriff’s Office non-emergency number – and it is a cloned number.
“The scammer claims the subject missed a jury summons and we have an indictment warrant for their arrest.” the release said. “One individual kept the scammer on the line and was instructed to go to the ATM and obtain cash for payment in lieu of arrest.”
According to the release, this is a scam and residents should disregard these calls and not provide any personal information to the scammer.
“The Washington County Sheriff’s Office does not accept cash payments in lieu of warrant arrests and does not contact individuals in this way,” the release said.
In the release the sheriff’s office asked Washington County residents to be cautious.
The Ohio Turnpike and Infrastructure Commission post on its Facebook page Monday alerting customers there is a scam asking for toll payments.
“The (commission) is reminding toll customers everywhere to be aware of a resurgence in fraudulent texts from scammers requesting payment for unpaid tolls through fraudulent websites,” the post said.
The sheriff’s office warned Washington County residents of the scam through a press release Monday.
“Washington County citizens received a text message from the Ohio Turnpike … the Ohio Turnpike does not request payment by text messages,” the release said.
The commission’s Facebook post said the scammers request payment for unpaid tolls through fraudulent websites.
The sheriff’s office release shows a copy of the text message, which says ” “Ohio Turnpike Services, our records indicate that your vehicle has an unpaid toll invoice. To avoid additional charges of $97.50, please settle your balance of $9.75,” and then it lists a website that is not associated with the OTC.
Everyone received the same message, the sheriff’s office said.
The commission said the only websites associated with E-ZPass accounts are ezpassoh.com and ohiotunrpike.org. For more information about E-ZPass notifications, contact the commission through ezpassoh.com or ohiotunrpike.org.
Michelle Dillon can be reached at mdillon@newsandsentinel.com
