LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Drivers in the Kentuckiana area are increasingly falling victim to sophisticated toll-related scams, with scammers targeting those who frequently cross the Ohio River bridges. The fraudulent messages, which appear to come from toll agencies like Riverlink, claim that the recipient owes money for unpaid tolls, prompting many to worry about their personal information.
Recent reports from local residents indicate that this scam is spreading quickly, with individuals like Kenette Middlebrooks and Brittany Hardeman receiving multiple texts in just a few weeks. “Why am I receiving these annoying text messages?” Middlebrooks said, expressing her frustration after receiving several scam texts. Hardeman also noted the frequency of these messages, stating, “I’ve gotten like four or five, literally in the last two or three weeks.”
While the issue is not limited to Louisville, the area’s extensive use of toll bridges makes it a prime target for scammers. The FBI issued a warning last month after receiving thousands of complaints nationwide, and Riverlink has been alerting customers since January about the growing threat of these scam texts.
For many recipients, the initial response is confusion, as they question how their phone numbers were obtained. “I don’t know how they would have my cellphone information, so I thought twice before clicking it,” Hardeman said.
Drake Hatfield, a local digital marketing expert, explained that the rise of artificial intelligence (AI) has made these scams more sophisticated. AI allows scammers to scale their operations and target a larger number of people more effectively. “Our data is out there, whether it can be purchased legally or on the black market, either way our data is out there,” Hatfield said. “It used to be that individual cellphones would send messages or create fake social media profiles. Now they’re doing it to scale because of AI, because of these farms that have been set up to do it on a much larger scale.”
Scammers now have access to more personal information than ever before, enabling them to craft convincing messages designed to deceive recipients into clicking malicious links or sharing sensitive data. According to Hatfield, age is not a factor in these attacks, as both young people and older individuals are equally vulnerable to falling for these scams. “These scammers will prey on anybody,” he said, adding that people of all ages are at risk.
Experts advise individuals to remain vigilant by avoiding any communication from unknown numbers, especially when it involves toll payments or personal financial information. “The top thing is for us to not give them any additional information,” Hatfield warned.
The Indiana Department of Transportation (INDOT) has been actively working to educate the public on how to recognize and report these scam messages. They recommend deleting suspicious tolling-related texts and reporting them to the proper authorities to help prevent further incidents.
As technology continues to evolve, so do the tactics used by scammers, making it more important than ever for individuals to stay informed and cautious. By taking the necessary steps to protect their personal information, drivers can better safeguard themselves from falling victim to these malicious scams.
