This story was originally produced by the Concorde monitor. NHPR is reissuing it in partnership with the Granite State News Collaboration.

If you receive a text message from E-ZPass saying you owe extra money, ignore it – it’s an identity theft scam.

That’s according to the New Hampshire Department of Transportation, which says it has heard of residents receiving text messages asking them to click on a link to pay outstanding tolls. The link is to a fraudulent website designed to collect information about people.

“N.H. E-ZPass will never send SMS messages requesting payment of tolls with late fees,” the group said in a statement. “Similar scams have been reported by toll agencies across the country in recent months.”

This type of fraud is called “smishing,” which stands for SMS phishing. SMS, on the other hand, stands for “short message service” such as texting, while “phishing” is the term for an online scam that targets people online who may be tricked into disclosing personal information.

E-ZPass account holders can use secure methods to verify their accounts, such as the official NH Turnpike. E-ZPass website or the NH E-ZPass app.

Those who receive a fraudulent text message can file a report with the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center at: www.ic3.gov. This is a site dedicated to sharing information about Internet crimes between law enforcement agencies. Recipients can also forward the suspicious message to 7726 (SPAM) to alert their mobile carrier.