ATLANTA — A new cybersecurity report has found that cybercriminals have registered more than 10,000 domains for a scam about unpaid toll bills.

The texts claim you have an unpaid toll bill and if you don’t pay within a certain time, the fees will go up.

However, once you click the link within the text, the scammers steal your personal information including your credit card number.

Experts warn against clicking the link and giving out personal, sensitive information, especially credit card, social security, identification and other personal information. The State Road and Tollway Authority says they will never reach out via text, and you should call customer service before clicking on any links.

Here are a few tips to prevent falling victim to phone scams:

• Be skeptical when someone contacts you. Scammers can spoof calls and emails to make it look like they are coming from different sources, including government agencies, charities, banks and large companies. Don’t share personal information, usernames, passwords or one-time codes that others can use to access your accounts or steal your identity.
• Don’t click unknown links. Whether the link arrives in your email, a text or a direct message, never click on it unless you’re certain the sender has good intentions. If the message says it’s from a company or government agency, call the company using a number that you look up on your own to confirm its legitimacy.
• Be careful with your phone. Similarly, if you suspect a spam call, don’t respond or press a button. The safest option is to hang up or ignore the call entirely. You can look up the organization and initiate a call if you’re worried there may be an issue.
• Update your devices. Software updates may include important security measures that can help protect your phone, tablet or computer.
• Enable multifactor authentication. Add this feature to any accounts that offer it as an option, and try to use a non-SMS version to protect yourself from SIM swapping.
• Research companies before taking any actions. Before you make a purchase or donation, take a few minutes to review the company. Do a web search for its name plus “scam” or “reviews” and research charities on Charity Navigator and CharityWatch.
• Don’t refund or forward overpayments. Be careful whenever a company or person asks you to refund or forward part of a payment. Often, the original payment will be fraudulent and taken back later.
• Look for suspicious payment requirements. Scammers often ask for payments via cash, wire transfer, money order, cryptocurrency or gift cards. These payments can be harder to track and cancel than other forms of payment, which can leave you stuck without recourse.
• Create a family password. Create a family password that you can all use to verify that it’s really one of you on the phone, and not someone who created a deep faked video or cloned voice.

What to Do if You Fall Victim to a Scam

Although there are some exceptions, you often can’t get your money back if you fall for a scam. There’s also no way to take back any personal information that you sent. But there are a few steps you can take that might help prevent additional fraud and protect other people:

• Report the scam and scammer. You can report scammers to the BBB and the FTC online. Additionally, report the scam and related message to any relevant parties, such as your bank, credit card issuer, social media platform, email provider, phone carrier or the USPS’ Postal Inspection Service. You can also file a police report, which might help with recovering your identity or lost funds.
• Scan your devices. If you clicked on a link or attachment, you may want to run an antivirus scan to check for malware.
• Change your passwords. Change the passwords on any accounts that use a password the scammer might know. Use this as an opportunity to create stronger passwords or try out the newer password-less option called passkeys that are available on some websites.
• Protect your credit. You may be worried about identity theft if you gave the scammer your personal information. You have the right to add fraud alerts and security freezes, also called credit freezes, to your credit reports for free. These can help keep someone else from opening an account using your information.

Louis DeNicola contributed to this report.