Road Toll Scammers Send Sinister Text Messages to Mobile Users

Text message scams claiming unpaid toll charges are sweeping across America, stealing financial information from thousands of unsuspecting victims who click on fraudulent payment links.

Key Takeaways

A nationwide “smishing” scam sends fake text messages claiming recipients owe money for unpaid road tolls, even targeting people in states without toll roads.
Scammers impersonate legitimate toll services like FastTrak and E-Z Pass, threatening penalties including license suspension if immediate payment isn’t made.
The FBI reported in April 2024 that it had received over 2,000 complaints about these scams in three states. The scams use deceptive URLs that mimic official toll collection websites.
State Attorneys General have recently issued warnings amid the continued spread of these scams.
To protect yourself, never click links in unexpected texts about tolls; instead, contact the legitimate toll agency directly using official contact information.
Report suspicious toll texts to your phone carrier (by forwarding to 7726), the FTC, and the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center.

How the “Smishing” Scam Works

A sinister digital scam targeting American drivers combines SMS messaging with phishing tactics—hence the term “smishing.” These fraudulent text messages claim recipients owe money for unpaid road tolls and are being sent en masse across the country. The scammers impersonate legitimate toll collection agencies like FastTrak in California or E-Z Pass in New York, creating a false sense of urgency by threatening serious consequences such as license suspension, additional penalties, or reports to the DMV if payment isn’t made immediately.

What makes these scams particularly deceptive is their sophisticated impersonation of official toll authority communications. The text messages often include links designed to look similar to legitimate toll agency websites. Often, these links appear as non-clickable text that recipients are urged to copy and paste into their browsers, a tactic scammers use to bypass security measures that might flag suspicious clickable links.

Did you receive a message that said you have unpaid tolls? STOP! It's likely a smishing scam. Don't click the link. Think to yourself, did you really travel a toll road recently and not pay? Don't become a scam victim: https://t.co/u72RMKyS6G pic.twitter.com/5cmRQHNkAt

— FBI Pittsburgh (@FBIPittsburgh) February 11, 2025

Widespread Impact and Official Warnings

The Federal Trade Commission issued an alert about these toll road payment scams back in January. This comes after the FBI reported in April 2024 that it had received over 2,000 complaints related to these fraudulent messages in three separate states. Cybersecurity firm Palo Alto Networks more recently revealed an alarming statistic, reporting that more than 10,000 domains have been specifically registered to execute these toll payment scams, showing the industrial scale of this criminal operation.

With the scam seemingly on the rise once again, State officials across the country are currently sounding alarms about these deceptive messages. Last week, Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill specifically warned citizens about texts impersonating the state’s GeauxPass toll system, bluntly declaring, “It is a SCAM.” Even in Vermont, where there are no toll roads, Attorney General Charity Clark found it necessary to issue a warning: “We do not have toll roads in Vermont but travelers may mistake these scams for actual toll operators in other states.”

I am issuing a Consumer Alert to Arkansans about the recent resurfacing of toll road scams.

Last year, Arkansas saw a new "smishing" scam—a combination of "SMS" (texts) and "phishing"— come to our state. In these scams, criminals attempt to steal consumers’ personal information… pic.twitter.com/HyZk3WDljT

— Attorney General Tim Griffin (@AGTimGriffin) February 27, 2025

How to Protect Yourself

To avoid falling victim to these toll payment scams, security experts and government officials recommend several protective measures. First and foremost, never click on links in unexpected text messages about toll payments. Instead, if you’re concerned about a possible unpaid toll, visit the official toll authority’s website by typing the verified web address directly into your browser, or call the toll agency’s official customer service number to verify any outstanding payments.

If you receive a suspicious text claiming to be from a toll authority, report it immediately. You can forward the message to 7726 (SPAM) to alert your mobile carrier, report it to the Federal Trade Commission at ReportFraud.ftc.gov, and file a complaint with the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) at IC3.gov. If you’ve already clicked on a link in one of these texts and entered personal information, monitor your accounts closely for unauthorized activity, consider placing a credit freeze, and change passwords for any potentially compromised accounts.

Recognizing the Red Flags

There are several warning signs that can help you identify these fraudulent toll texts. Legitimate toll authorities typically send notifications through mail rather than text messages, especially for first-time notices. Be especially suspicious if you receive a text about tolls in states you haven’t recently visited. Also, carefully examine any links – official toll authorities use secure websites with proper domains, not suspicious-looking shortened URLs or domains that add extra words after the official name.

Remember that government agencies and legitimate toll authorities will never demand immediate payment through unusual methods or threaten immediate severe consequences like license suspension without proper legal process. By staying vigilant and verifying communications through official channels, American drivers can protect themselves from becoming the next victims of this widespread and sophisticated scam targeting our nation’s highways and pocketbooks.