PALM BEACH COUNTY, Fla. — There's a good chance you've gotten a text, warning that you have an unpaid toll fee. It's more than likely a scam.
Over the weekend, the St. Lucie County Sheriff's Office warned residents on its social media account not to fall for it.
WATCH: How to do deal with toll scams
The scam seems to be hitting a feverish pitch. Cybersecurity firm Trend Micro said it's seen a 900% increase in online searches for toll road scams across the country. Experts said because Florida has more toll roads than any other state in the U.S., we are highly susceptible and being targeted.
WPTV Anchor Hollani Davis spoke to the vice president of Threat Intelligence for Trend Micro. He explained how artificial intelligence is being used to tailor these scams and make it harder to decipher what is real and what is fake.
"They (these scammers) have AI that will search your social media post, analyze your web history and it will craft an email message, a text message, even a phone call and so it's going to be difficult for humans to ascertain what is real and what is not real. What is legitimate and what is a scam," said John Clay, VP of Threat Intelligence.
Clay said most scams are done manually right now with one or even a small group of people driving them. With AI, Clay said the con becomes automated and makes it easier to target more people at once.
Consumer experts said their best advice to people to avoid having their financial information and identity compromised is not to click on unknown links. They also suggest using anti-virus software to sift out the scams and junk messages.
The Florida Attorney General's Office has a website with tips to recognize a scam and ways to report it. The bill scam is listed under "SunPass Safety."
