INDOT: Delete and report suspicious tolling-related text and email messages
If you have received a text message related to unpaid or past due tolls from the Indiana Department of Transportation or another state agency, delete the message and report it to the Federal Trade Commission and/or Internet Crime Complaint Center.
State agencies do not send text messages related to unpaid or past due tolls.
In addition, state agencies no longer use GovDelivery to distribute agency messages, and transitioned to Salesforce Marketing Cloud for this service in late 2024.
Sign up to receive text and email updates from INDOT at alerts.indot.in.gov.
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Tom's Guide
20 hours ago
- Tom's Guide
How to avoid Airbnb and vacation booking scams — and what to do when they happen
You've packed a bag, hopped a flight and caught a taxi through narrow unfamiliar streets trying to find the right address, with the kids impatiently in tow. But when you get there, and ring the bell as instructed, the man who answers isn't your Airbnb host with a key for the sublet. The dude has no idea what you're talking about and tells you this address isn't an Airbnb. Or maybe the hotel room you thought was a suite fit for a king winds up to be more like a kid sized closet and the bed is actually a folding table with a comforter on it. So… now what? The unfortunate reality is that it's incredibly easy to copy-and-paste photos from real property listings, create fake websites, and even fake reviews in order to make a legitimate looking travel website with fake bookings. If you've found yourself the victim of a fake booking site, the first thing to do is, find yourself a safe place to stay. From here, you're going to take the following steps to protect yourself and your data and make sure it never happens again. Once you realize that you've fallen victim to a scam booking, your next immediate step is going to be to start documenting everything: Start screenshotting all the communications, listing details, confirmation emails and payment receipts for the booking, listing, payments, entire process, text messages — all of it. Get instant access to breaking news, the hottest reviews, great deals and helpful tips. Save all the photos and descriptions you can find of the original listing, and make a timeline of all the events of the booking. What method of communication was used (chat boxes in an app, texts, email, phone calls) and note the dates and times they happened. Try to save as much detail of everything that occurred as you can. Next, contact your financial institution and report the fraudulent charges to them. Let your credit card or bank know about the fraud and request a chargeback or dispute the transaction as soon as possible. If you think there may be any further unauthorized access on your card, you can also ask to have your card frozen, though that will also prevent you from using it which may make things difficult if you also need it. Keep in mind when traveling or purchasing anything online, credit cards generally offer better fraud protection than debit cards so whenever possible try to use them then pay them off as soon as possible. If you found a fake listing on a legitimate platform, then report the listing to the platform ideally within 24 to 48 hours. Contact their customer service and provide them with all the details from your timeline. Follow their fraud reporting procedures, and document your interactions with them as well and add that to your timeline. Within 72 hours, make sure you've also filed any official reports with federal agencies. You can contact the FTC at and file a complaint with the Internet Crime Complaint Center at If there's a significant enough amount of money involved, you may also wish to contact local law enforcement, and you should also try your state's Attorney General's office. Again, keep notes and details of who you contact and when and add this information to your timeline. Lastly, monitor your accounts and identity – from bank and credit card statements, to check for unauthorized charges, to requesting credit reports where you'll be checking for suspicious activity. Additionally, it's not a bad idea to change passwords for any and all accounts that were involved, like the booking site involved, and set up fraud alerts with credit bureaus. Keep in mind, if you have a comprehensive antivirus software package, it might offer features that could be helpful, from dark web monitoring or identity monitoring, to a VPN for traveling, or scam protection for suspicious websites. Now that you've taken care of the immediate issue, here's how to make sure that you can spot a booking or travel scam in the future. There are particular red flags you should be on the look out for when it comes to property listings and booking sites. When it comes to listings, be suspicious of: When it comes to shady booking sites, there are other things to look out for there, for example be concerned: It's particularly worth knowing these signs as more and more scams appear on Airbnb and other booking sites – particularly around heavy travel times like holidays. Scammers aren't against using every tool they have, including AI, to create even more realistic looking listings to convince their targets and leverage social media to make "too good to be true" style offers. Airbnb in particular has worked with Get Safe Online to help raise awareness of how to spot booking scams, especially around the holiday seasons. They echo many of the same tips we've included above and add that you should always trust your instincts – if something seems suspicious or off, then just walk away.
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Yahoo
Is your smart home spying? FBI warns devices could be linked to crime
Cyber criminals have managed to gain unauthorized access to home networks by compromising at-home technology such as streaming devices and digital picture frames, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) said in a statement. By leveraging Badbox, cyber criminals are able to access the at-home streaming devices, digital projectors, aftermarket vehicle infotainment systems, digital picture frames, and more, the agency explained. Criminals exploit Internet of Things (IoT) devices connected to home networks to conduct criminal activity, the statement reads. They do so by using the BadBox 2.0 botnet, which turns Android-based devices into a controlled network of infected machines. The malware typically spreads through hidden apps downloaded from unofficial stores, and is often pre-installed on cheaper devices. By leveraging Badbox, cyber criminals are able to access the at-home streaming devices, digital projectors, aftermarket vehicle infotainment systems, digital picture frames and more, the agency explained. 'Most of the infected devices were manufactured in China,' the FBI said. 'Cyber criminals gain unauthorized access to home networks by either configuring the product with malicious software prior to purchase or infecting the device as it downloads required applications that contain backdoors, usually during the set-up process.' Once these compromised devices are connected to home networks, they are susceptible to becoming part of the BadBox botnet and residential proxy services, according to the press release. Possible indicators of BadBox activity include: The presence of suspicious marketplaces where apps are downloaded Requiring Google Play Protect settings to be disabled Generic TV streaming devices advertised as unlocked or capable of accessing free content Home devices advertised from unrecognizable brands Android devices that are not Play Protect certified Unexplained or suspicious internet traffic 'The public is urged to evaluate IoT devices in their home for any indications of compromise and consider disconnecting suspicious devices from their networks,' the FBI said. People can minimize exposure to unauthorized residential proxy networks by: Maintaining awareness and monitoring internet traffic of home networks Assessing all IoT devices connected to home networks for suspicious activity Avoid downloading apps from unofficial marketplaces advertising free streaming content Keeping all operating systems, software and firmware up to date Consumers who think they have been a victim of an intrusion can file a report with the FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) here. Andover man accused of having sexual conversations with purported 13-year-old Supreme Judicial Court upholds 2018 murder conviction in Latin King case N.H. man arrested in Saugus, suspected of killing father in 2003 Boston police seek man involved in hit-and-run that left victim seriously injured 3rd Needham Public Schools employee charged with having child sexual abuse material Read the original article on MassLive.
Eater
5 days ago
- Eater
Dine and Dash Is Back — But It's Way Worse Than You Think
When Bobby Kwak wakes up, the first thing he does is reach for his phone. He's not reading headlines or catching up on texts: The owner of Michelin-starred Nōksu is checking to see how much money he has lost overnight. The first week of June, it was $600; a few days earlier it was $2,500. In the past year, he has lost tens of thousands of dollars. Kwak is one of a clutch of Michelin-starred restaurant owners reeling from astounding chargebacks on prepaid reservations made with stolen credit cards. 'There comes a point where enough is enough,' says Kwak. 'We are a counter restaurant with only 15 seats. Last week four seats were under a stolen credit card. That's 25 percent of my daily sales, gone.' The chargeback scheme goes something like this: X buys a prepaid reservation using a stolen credit card number, then sells it to Y at a discount — usually by posting it on Instagram or on the social media platform Red. The restaurant is none the wiser and serves Y dinner, but a few weeks later gets a notice that the reservation was made with a stolen card number and the entire amount is being refunded to the person whose credit card was stolen. Operators contest the chargebacks, but the banks side with the cardholder, leaving the restaurant holding massive losses. Let's be clear: Credit card fraud is nothing new. In 2024, consumers lost $12.5 billion to online fraud, a 25 percent increase from the figure reported in 2023, according to a report by the Federal Trade Commission. Chargebacks are mushrooming as well; merchants are expected to incur $28.1 billion in annual losses due to chargeback fraud by 2026; that's a 40 percent increase from 2023. Operators interviewed for this story say the frequency of chargebacks for prepaid restaurant reservations has skyrocketed over the past six months, particularly at high-end Japanese restaurants with very few seats that need every single one to make ends meet. 'It's just turned into a virus,' says Kwak. 'It has spread so quickly.' 'There used to be a few reservations challenged here and there, but this most recent wave over the past six months has been serious in frequency and amount, more than we have ever seen in the past,' says Howard Chang, owner of Sushi Ichimura, which serves a 20-course tasting menu priced at $475 per person. Chang has lost $10,000 in the past month because of chargebacks. Bank affidavits show a single stolen credit card was used to make reservations at Chef's Table at Brooklyn Fare, Odo, Noz, Ichimura, and Nōksu, according to Chang. 'It's clear somebody is stealing credit cards from overseas and using them to make and flip reservations,' he says. 'These reservations were all made on the same day.' Emiko Murakami, the manager of Icca, the Michelin-starred sushi restaurant with a $495 omakase menu, also says chargebacks are on the rise: In 2022, she saw three cases and in 2025 there have already been 10. Jō, which serves a $300 per person kaiseki menu, opened three months ago but the restaurant has already had two chargebacks. 'Because it is fairly recent we are still awaiting the credit card company's judgment,' says Jō's chef Hiroki Abe, who estimates $3,000 in losses if the bank doesn't side with him. Operators are not just losing income from refunded reservation fees: Many have to replace the lost gratuity, hundreds of dollars per check, despite the fraud. They are also saddled with paying sales tax on a sale that never really happened. Don't forget the $15 per transaction fee imposed by companies like Stripe, the credit card processor used by many reservation platforms. Operators must also pay Stripe its sales percentage of 2.9 percent per transaction, despite the fact that the sale was actually refunded. Stripe did not respond to multiple queries from Eater for comment on these practices. It's not just the money; it's all the time it takes to dispute the chargeback, gathering evidence that can include reviewing video footage, itemizing bills, sharing screenshots, and more to prove diners were served. 'I send it all, but I lose every time,' says Kwak. 'That is so frustrating because these people have figured out a way to beat the system.' Chang has also spent hours trying to get 'reservation for sale' posts taken down, but it's time he doesn't have. 'They are taken down and then they can register new accounts and continue to do this over and over again,' he says. 'It's like playing Whac-A-Mole.' Many operators are left trying to suss out which diners might be in on the scam or unknowingly using stolen reservations. Fraudulent reservations are made with a stolen credit card that will not match the name of the reservation, but questioning diners can lead to awkward interactions. Both Kwak and Chang try to graciously verify ID and match the reservation name to credit card but both say it's very off-putting. 'Maybe it's fraud, but it can also be a guest whose partner made the reservation,' says Chang. 'We really don't know. And to require the same name on the credit card as the reservation will hurt the business. People will just dine somewhere else.' Abe of Jō is trying to get ahead of any potentially awkward interactions by giving diners a heads-up on its Instagram and website: 'We ask to present a valid ID matching the credit card that the reservation is made with upon arrival at the restaurant. It has been brought to our attention that people are offering discounts for Jō on certain social media sites. Please beware that those are people trying to scam you, we are not offering any discounts through social media. Feel free to reach out if you have any questions.' Chang has taken to playing something of a Cordelia Cupp, observing diners' behavior, looking for signs that something is sketchy. A few weeks ago, he suspected a table of four — all arrived at different times, and none of the diners seemed to know each other or interact. Chang approached the table and informed the diners that the prepaid reservation was refunded and that the restaurant would require credit card payment on site. The group in question resisted, but Chang insisted. 'In the end they paid, but I'm pretty sure it would have been disputed. But it's not pleasant for anyone to ask that.' What is sometimes also useful is to scour reservation profiles for evidence that the person is not a scammer. 'If we see a profile with preferences, allergy information, birthdays, and anniversaries, that shows they are a real person,' offers Chang. Another way of avoiding this sort of fraud is to stop taking prepaid reservations, but high-ticket restaurants like Nōksu, Sushi Noz, and Ichimura say they have no choice; teams cannot afford no-shows with a $500 per person tasting menu hanging in the balance. It's not like walk-ins fill the gap. 'We take payment to ensure people will come,' says Chang. 'The setup also helps with cash flow because of the extreme cost of ingredients, many of which are flown in from Japan.' Operators dealing with such rampant fraud are frustrated that reservation platforms can't do more to weed out scammers. 'Reservation platforms are aware, but they haven't been really dealing with it,' says Chang. 'I don't know where the difficulty is.' Resy and OpenTable say they are doing everything they can to thwart scams, from investigating patterns of fraudulent reservations to blocking bad users to leveraging added security features. Rather than reservation platforms, banks and credit card processors are in a far better position with tech available to build a dam against the flow of fraud. Stripe, American Express, Mastercard, and Visa did not return requests for comment. Both Resy and OpenTable require one-time passwords to log in to accounts and make a reservation, but that doesn't stop the fraud. Scammers just create accounts that seem legit. Neither app allows diners to make more than one reservation at the same time, but fraudsters can just use multiple accounts to book the tables. There are other tools in place, says OpenTable's Chris Kennedy, a vice president of technology operations and its chief information security officer. 'We have a team dedicated solely to fraud prevention and are continually evaluating and making changes to maximize protection for our restaurant partners.' Resy and Tock data shows that the volume of chargeback disputes has decreased from 2024 to 2025, according to a spokesperson, an indication that the many protections they have in place against fraud are working as intended. 'Resy and Tock employ some of the most advanced platform security tools on the market, like real-time risk analysis, payment verification checks, and behavioral monitoring to identify and block bad charges,' said a representative in a statement to Eater NY. 'When we are alerted to or detect suspicious behavior, we immediately investigate it and take action, including blocking emails and deactivating accounts associated with fraudulent activity.' Neither OpenTable nor Resy offers the protections of Tock (acquired by Resy) which provides $25,000 in chargeback protection per year — insurance that has kept Icca afloat. 'Thankfully, we haven't exceeded that cap in the past three years,' says Murakami. So far Icca has successfully claimed $10,000 in chargebacks for reimbursement. For now, Kwok continues to check his phone every morning — today it was $579 — bracing for more losses. 'Fine dining margins are razor-thin to begin with and we are losing tens of thousands of dollars,' he says. 'The impact is devastating.' See More:
