Kankakee Times

State Representative Jackie Haas warned her constituents to be vigilant against a phishing scam. "The Illinois Tollway is warning I-PASS customers of a phishing scam being sent out in the form of text messages," she stated in a July 8 Facebook post.

"The Illinois Tollway is warning I-PASS customers of a phishing scam being sent out in the form of text messages," said Haas, according to Facebook.

In her Facebook post, Rep. Haas shared a link to a WGN report on the scam, saying that the text details a specific toll amount the customer owes and that anyone who receives the message should delete it and report it to the FBI Internet Crime Complaint Center.

Scrreenshot of Rep. Jackie Haas' July 8 Facebook post | Rep. Jackie Haas' Facebook page

According to the Illinois Tollway, they have been informed of the current scam and advise I-PASS customers to disregard phishing texts from "Illinois toll way." They say individuals who receive such texts can check their accounts online or call the customer service center from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., Monday through Friday. The Illinois Tollway also says that customers should "delete any text that you receive stating an outstanding toll amount."

NewsChannel20 reported on July 9 that the Illinois State Police are warning the public about this phone scam. The text message reads: "Illinois Toll way, our records indicate that your vehicle has an unpaid toll invoice. To avoid additional charges of $75.90, please settle your balance of $7.59 at https://illinoistollwayservices.com."

If someone receives this text, the Illinois State Police suggest several tips: do not respond to the message or send money to an unknown number; note that the area code in the scammer's text message is 263 for Montreal, Canada, not Illinois; and recognize that "Illinois Tollway" is misspelled as "Illinois Toll way" in the scammer’s text.

Rep. Jackie Haas was elected to represent Illinois’ 79th House District in December 2020. She is CEO of the Helen Wheeler Center for Community Health and previously worked as a social worker at Riverside Medical Center. She holds a Bachelor of Social Work from Valparaiso University and a Master of Social Work from the University of Illinois-Chicago, according to her biography from the Illinois General Assembly.