You can’t trust everything you see and hear nowadays, especially text messages and emails.

One of the most common scams recently are fake toll road fines that are sent via text message. The FBI calls it “smishing," which combines the abbreviation for text messages, SMS, with phishing.

The problem has gotten so big that the Michigan Secretary of State's website has as pop-up warning at the top of their homepage, reminding Michigan residents that the Secretary of State will never solicit payment via text message.

So what’s behind the text message toll road scams? How can people identify a scam? What makes seniors so vulnerable to cyber scams?

Lexi Lutz joined the Metro to help answer those questions. Lutz is the senior corporate counsel for privacy and cybersecurity at Nordstrom, and she appeared on The Metro in her capacity of founder of Opt-Inspire, a nonprofit that works to keep seniors cyber-secure, and helps them use digital technology safely to connect with loved ones.

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