Unpaid Tolls In Wyoming? That’s A Scam Alert, Folks

In 1971, there was a song released by the Five Man Electrical Band that was simply titled "Signs."  The lyrics went like this:

Sign, sign. Everywhere a sign. Blockin' out the scenery. Breakin' my mind. Do this, don't do that. Can you read the sign?

I feel like this is where we're at with scams, and a song should be written about them. It would go something like this:

Scam, scam. Everywhere is a scam. Tryin' to steal my money. Ruinin' my life. No, that celebrtiy doesn't love you, and we don't have toll roads, don't fall for that scam. We should all be leery about those nasty old scams.

It seems a new scam is hitting the scene almost every day, and today is no exception. The Casper Police Department shared information from WYDOT about yet another scam. This time, the scammers are trying to fool you into thinking a WYDOT, or other state or local representative, is trying to contact you, and you'll receive a series of urgent texts claiming you have unpaid tickets or tolls and you're on the verge of losing your driving privileges.

If you receive one of these messages, know they're a scam, and there are a few ways you can tell.

1.  Wyoming doesn't have toll roads, bridges, or tunnels. So, if you get a message about a Wyoming highway toll, it's fake.
2. WYDOT does not have a system for you to pay for your tickets online.
3. WYDOT would never call or text you from a foreign number.
4. WYDOT doesn't use DMV. If you get a call or text from a Wyoming DMV, it's fake. Wyoming uses Driver Services.
5. No one should ever ask for personal information over the phone or text. If they do, hang up and call the authorities. Or, save the text and turn it over to the authorities to confirm the scam.

If someone is trying to scam you, alert authorities, report the scam to the FTC, and always remain skeptical if you receive a call or text from an unknown number.

WYDOT has samples of the scam text messages; you can see them here.

Like they used to say at the end of every morning roll call on the 80s TV Show Hill Street Blues, "Let's be careful out there."