Apparently, we’ve cracked the Nigerian prince code and cons promising us romance. Swindlers have now moved on with phony dodges using the nation’s tollway system as an unwilling partner.

Perhaps you are among those who have received unsolicited texts allegedly from tollway folks saying you have an “outstanding balance” in your E-ZPass account. These chiselers, perhaps those renowned Russian bad actors, are now scrapping the bottom of the barrel with this latest fraud trying to steal identities.

I received my second “final reminder” cellphone notice last week. If you have gotten them, cyber-security aces say don’t respond and delete the message.

“If you fail to pay you will be penalized or subject to legal action,” the text warned me. “Please settle your toll immediately after reading this message to avoid penalties for delaying the payment.”

Attached was a link to an “E-ZPass” site. The scammers are so polite as they try to take your money, even thanking you in advance for your cooperation.

Which, of course, isn’t going to happen. First, one clue is that the Illinois Tollway Authority doesn’t use E-ZPass, except on the Chicago Skyway. E-ZPass is used in 20 states, mainly on the East Coast.

The Tollway has its own I-PASS system. Something that the office of Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul first reminded motorists around this time last year when complaints from consumers first began surfacing in the Land of Lincoln. The Federal Trade Commission issued a national warning about the scam in January.

Such internet confidence games are known by the portmanteau of “smishing” (short message service phishing). They are meant to get us to share personal or financial information by replying to the link.

This toll-owing hoax follows one of the original internet ruses, the “Nigerian prince” scam. Many will remember that the so-called prince poses as a rich person who needs to move huge sums of money out of his country.

If you help him, you get a generous share of the fortune, the prince promises. What one actually gets is some trickster having access to your bank account where the information is used, abused, bought or sold to nefarious individuals. Or, you end up with your device infected with malware.

Internet investigators point out that scammers have become more sophisticated since the Nigerian prince first surfaced. Misspellings, poor grammar and half-baked designs and logos were keys to phishing. No longer.

Authorities warn Illinoisans, especially senior citizens, to be wary of government agencies contacting them via e-mail or text. Social Security Administration scams hoping for your nine-digit number have also been generated on social media.

Another means to defeat scammers includes not opening links or attachments from suspicious sources, and blocking future messages. Never reply to the messages, even to say “STOP.” That verifies an active phone number.

Illinois consumers are not alone when it comes to the unpaid-toll scheme. The racket is happening across the U.S.

But we may be residents of one of the most targeted states. The FTC says such complaints in Illinois last year were higher than the U.S. average of 1,215 per 100,000 residents.

Illinois registered 1,470 per 100,000 residents. Overall, Americans lost 25% more money last year to fraudsters than in 2023.

Con artists must think I’m an easy mark because a recent e-mail wondered: “Are you open to an opportunity where you can earn daily incomes from the comfort of your home while doing your daily activities? Kindly let me know if interested so I can provide you with further details.”

That get-rich-quick offer is also likely a scam, according to the Attorney General’s Office. I would be required to buy upfront address lists or software to do the “work.”

The list of fraudulent online practices has grown as we have delved deeper into social media. Among them, pyramid schemes, membership fee fakes, credit repair cons, dubious health offers, fictitious diploma schools and illegitimate gaming services. Even selling puppies.

In January, Raoul’s office charged a Round Lake man with multiple felonies for allegedly orchestrating an internet scam that advertised puppies for sale to lure victims. People tried to buy what they thought would be their furry friends through online ads.

After sending payments through a money transfer the would-be buyers failed to see their pets and were unable to get their money back. The suspect, according to the Attorney General’s Office, used falsified identification and forged a signature to collect the money.

He was charged with one count of theft, wire fraud, burglary and forgery. Hycenth received two years’ probation after pleading guilty to one count of theft in return for the other charges being dropped.

Like romance scams, pet lovers can also be taken advantage of online by those who want to separate them from their hard-earned cash.

If you think you’ve been a victim of an online scheme, smishing or phishing, report it to the Attorney General’s Consumer Fraud Hotline in Chicago at 1-800-386-5438.

Charles Selle is a former News-Sun reporter, political editor and editor.

sellenews@gmail.com

X: @sellenews