I was checking out at the pharmacy when the text arrived. 

“Your vehicle has an unpaid toll. To avoid excessive charges ...” The warning was followed up with a link to a website, so full of random letters and numbers that it was clearly not the work of the New York State Thruway Authority. 

My reaction was hardly the one the scammers were hoping for. First I snorted. Then I rolled my eyes. 

Sure. I was racking up tolls here in rural Sullivan County. Were the cows now charging fees for passing their fields?

Don’t confuse my blasé response with obliviousness. 

Scammers are everywhere, and they’re exhausting us all. 

I estimate at least 2 texting scams pop up on my phone every day, and there are dozens more arriving daily in my email. They’re not just targeting me as a person anymore either; they try to go after my business too.

And sadly, I know people who have been hit by these predatory creeps in recent years, losing money to their greedy manipulations. Last year alone, it’s estimated that people around the globe were scammed out of more than $1 trillion ... yes, that’s trillion with a T. 

It seems we’ve gone past the point of no return. Scams are simply a factor of daily life, and we have to be on guard at all times. 

That’s exactly why I take the wins where we can get them. 

Life in the boonies may not afford us the ability to run to Target on a whim or take mass transit, but there are at least a few scams that simply don’t work here, provided you have a little common sense. 

Take the “unpaid parking tickets” warnings that threaten the loss of your driver’s license. If you haven’t left the county in awhile, it’s pretty safe to say you’re not incurring any of these. 

And those unable to take advantage of postal delivery at their homes due to the rural nature of our community can safely ignore those warnings that the USPS attempted delivery and was unable to carry through. 

Small wins? Of course, but we can make them bigger by reporting each and every scam as it comes in. 

Next time one of these ridiculous (and ridiculously manipulative) texts shows up on your phone, don’t just hit delete. Report scam texts directly to the FTC at ReportFraud.ftc.gov, or copy the message and text it to 7726 (SPAM) to report them to your wireless provider. 

Once they’re gone, go ahead and snort, roll your eyes, groan, or make a ridiculous joke. You’re safe ... this time.