Be careful out there, folks.
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on December 11, 2025
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Be careful out there. Credit: Ian Moore / Mashable Composite; krblokhin / Jeffrey Coolidge / Photodisc / Glow Images / Glowimages / Isaac Lee / iStock / Getty / Indeed
If you’re concerned about scams in 2025, start by monitoring your texts. Many of the most common internet scams of the year start with a text message.
Of course, scams are everywhere because the internet has made it so easy for bad actors to do bad things. But, quite notably, the year in scams has largely been defined by text-based scams. You’ve likely heard about, or even received, these scams: The E-ZPass scam, the DMV scam, and the job offer scam, to name a few. And sadly, romance scams and malware trickery still abound.
To keep yourself and your loved ones safe online, here are the most common internet scams you need to be aware of in 2025.
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The E-ZPass scam text
The E-ZPass scam texts — or scams involving other similar toll services — have seemingly been the most prevalent scam in 2025. We here at Mashable initially covered the story in January and updated with readers on the scammers’ latest tactics and targets in May.
The TL;DR is that scammers send a text falsely claiming you have unpaid tolls, often creating a sense of urgency by threatening to suspend your license or enact some other severe punishment. Oftentimes, the text includes a link and, to be very clear: Do Not Click Any Links (or copy-paste a broken URL into another browser).
SEE ALSO:E-ZPass and toll scam texts are everywhere. What to do if you’re targeted.
If you’re curious about the scam texts, they typically looking something like the examples embedded below and are often sent from random phone numbers or email addresses.
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In general, it’s best to not engage with scams at all. That means do not click links, do not respond to the text, or do not start a chat on some other messaging service. If you have any concerns about an outstanding toll bill, the Federal Trade Commission recommends contacting your local agency directly. It’s worth noting that the tolling agencies will not send a bill via text and will not threaten to suspend your license. If you get a scam E-ZPass text, you should just delete it and report it as junk, which is an option for most phones.
DMV scams
Another common scam in 2025 is the DMV text scam. It’s effectively a close cousin to the E-ZPass scams described above.
The text itself is a near copy-paste from the E-ZPass scam. DMV offices in states like California, Florida, and New York issued warnings that scammers would spam people with texts claiming to be from the DMV, falsely saying the driver had unpaid tickets and their driver’s license was in jeopardy. These are fake and should be treated exactly the same as the E-ZPass tolls.
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Coinbase scams
There are just so many text-based scams out there. A new one this year centered on Coinbase, the crypto platform. Typically speaking, the scammer reaches out with a phone number or link in an apparent attempt to get your financial information. Though the message often claims some transaction took place, that’s fake: You can safely delete it and move on.
Job offer scams
A relatively recent scam that’s become more popular involves fake job offers, often from the job site Indeed. With a difficult economy and job market, these Indeed scams are especially cruel, as they take advantage of people who may already be economically vulnerable.
As we covered at Mashable, the scammers send a text saying the receiver has been offered a job, often claiming to be an employer on Indeed or the company Indeed itself.
The offer is fake, of course. Instead, the bad actors often try to get folks to click a bad link or strike up a conversation on a platform like WhatsApp or Telegram. If you receive one of these texts, do not respond or converse with the scammers. Obviously, do not send any personal information. Indeed also recommends blocking the number and reporting the issue to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC).
Parazonn 