A new wave of scams has emerged online, tricking victims via text messaging under the guise of Eastlink Australia, an online toll-collecting service for Australia’s 40 km road network.
Thus, in this post, we are going to review Eastlink scam text messages and let you know how to detect this scam.
What is Eastlink Text Scam?
Recently, many users have reported receiving SMS claiming to be from Eastlink informing them that they have an overdue toll invoice and that they risk additional fines if they don’t pay. Those SMS are not from Eastlink; they are scammers.
There is a link in the text to pay the outstanding toll payments. When you click on those links, you are taken to a page that looks like Eastlink’s official website but isn’t. By stealing the designs and logos from Eastlink, scammers have replicated the company’s website.
After you enter your private information and pay overdue tolls on such phony websites made in the name of Eastlink, the scammers cut off your connection and leave you with nothing.
Furthermore, con artists can repeatedly withdraw money from your bank account once they get access to your private information. It is therefore crucial to learn how to spot those fraudulent SMS messages that appear to be from Eastlink.
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How to Identify This Scam?
The scam texts that pretend to be from Eastlink and target your money and private information can be recognized in a few different ways. The first thing you should do is look for grammatical errors and missing context in the text messages, as scammers frequently make those mistakes.
Eastlink further states that in any text communication about an overdue toll fee, they will always include your entire name and phone number first. It is very concerning if this information is missing from the SMS message.
Subsequently, an authentic SMS message from Eastlink regarding an unpaid toll charge will include the URL to Eastlink’s official website, eastlink.com.au. Any URL that directs you to a different domain than this one is fraudulent.
Therefore, there’s a good possibility that any of these warning signs in Eastlink text messages stating past-due tolls are scams.
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