You Got a Text About an Unpaid Toll. Is It a Scam?
A text claiming you owe a small unpaid toll — and warning of late fees, license suspension, or vehicle impoundment unless you pay through a link — is a phishing scam known as smishing. Real toll authorities bill by mailed invoice or through your account on their official website, and they never ask for card numbers or personal details by text. The FBI received more than 59,000 complaints about toll-scam texts in a single year, and federal and state agencies have warned that the campaign runs nationwide.
Source: FCC — Toll Road Payment Scam Texts · FBI Internet Crime Complaint Center
How to Know in 60 Seconds If It's a Scam
Check the message against these. If any one is true, it's a scam — and most toll smishing texts tick every box.
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It arrived by text, out of the blue, with a link. Toll agencies don't text you a link to collect an unpaid toll. They send a paper invoice in the mail or post the balance in your online account. A text with a "pay now" link is the scam's signature.
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It threatens late fees, license suspension, or impoundment. The message pairs a small balance — often just a few dollars — with a scary, urgent consequence to make you act before you think. Real toll disputes are never resolved by clicking a link in a text.
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It doesn't use your name — and may reach you even with no toll account. Scam texts say "Dear customer" or "E-ZPass user," and they're blasted to millions of numbers. Many people who've never had a toll transponder, or weren't on a toll road, get them too.
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The link isn't the real agency's website. The link may start with something familiar but the actual domain is an odd, unrelated one (a string of letters or an unusual ending). Real toll sites use the agency's plain official address — go there yourself instead of trusting the link.
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It asks for a card number, SSN, or payment by gift card or wire. E-ZPass, Tolls by Mail, and other agencies never request personal information like a card, birthday, or Social Security number by text. A request for gift cards or a wire transfer is a guaranteed scam.
What This Scam Is and How It Works
This is a smishing scam — phishing delivered by text message. Criminals send out millions of identical "unpaid toll" texts, knowing that a huge share of people drive and might believe they missed a toll. The message borrows the name of a real toll service — E-ZPass in the Northeast and mid-Atlantic, SunPass in Florida, FasTrak in California, I-PASS in Illinois, TxTag in Texas — and creates urgency with a small balance and a big threat.
The link leads to a counterfeit payment page that looks like the toll authority's site. It captures your name, address, and credit or debit card — and often tries to collect more personal details. The information is used for fraudulent charges, identity theft, or resale. The FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center received tens of thousands of toll-scam complaints in a single year, and the FTC reported that text scams cost Americans hundreds of millions of dollars, with unpaid-toll texts among the top categories. Officials note the campaign moves from state to state.
It works the same way other "trusted name" scams do — like the USPS "package undeliverable" text or an Amazon "unauthorized charge" call. If you entered information, treat it like identity theft: see the → Identity Theft guide and consider a → free credit freeze.
The "DMV" Version — and the "Recovery" Scam That Can Follow
A newer twist arrives as a "State DMV Final Notice" about an unpaid toll or violation, threatening to suspend your driver's license or vehicle registration if you don't pay immediately. It's the same scam in a different uniform: your state DMV does not text you a link demanding payment. Don't click — if you're genuinely worried, contact your DMV or toll provider through their official website, not the message.
Be alert to a second scam that sometimes follows the first. Weeks after someone falls for a toll text, they may get a call or email from a supposed "fraud department," "investigator," or even the "FBI" offering to recover the lost money — for a fee. This is a lie, and it's run by the same kind of criminals. Legitimate government agencies never charge a fee to return stolen money, and anyone asking for payment by gift card, wire transfer, or cryptocurrency is a scammer.
How to Tell If You Really Owe a Toll
If you're not sure whether a toll is real, never use the link in the text. Instead:
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Go straight to your toll agency's official website or app. Type the address yourself or use a bookmark — E-ZPass, SunPass, FasTrak, I-PASS, TxTag, and the like all let you check your balance after logging in.
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Call the number on a real, mailed statement. If you have a genuine toll account, use the customer service number printed on a paper invoice — not a number from the text.
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Know your provider by region. If a text names a toll service you don't use or that isn't even in your area, that's a strong sign it's fake. If you have no account at all, you owe no electronic toll.
What to Do Right Now
- Do not tap the link or reply.
- Forward the text to 7726 (it spells SPAM) so your carrier can act on the number.
- Report it to the FBI at IC3.gov — include the sender's phone number and the link from the message — and to the FTC at ReportFraud.ftc.gov.
- Block the sender and delete the message so you don't tap it later by accident.
- If you're unsure whether you owe a toll, check only at your toll agency's official site.
- If you entered card or bank details, call your bank or card issuer now, ask them to watch for or stop fraudulent charges, and have the card reissued.
- If you entered a password, change it there and anywhere you used the same one.
- Watch your accounts closely, and consider a free credit freeze or fraud alert at the three credit bureaus.
- Ignore any later call offering to "recover" your money for a fee — that's a second scam.
- Report it: the FBI at IC3.gov and the FTC at ReportFraud.ftc.gov. Full steps: → what to do if you've been scammed.
Common Questions
How to Report a Toll Scam Text
Verified from official sources, confirmed June 2026.
| What you need | Number / Link |
|---|---|
| Forward the text to your carrier | Forward to 7726 (SPAM) |
| Report to the FBI | IC3.gov — include the sender's number + the link |
| Report to the FTC | ReportFraud.ftc.gov |
| Check a real toll balance | Go to your toll agency's official site yourself (E-ZPass, SunPass, FasTrak, I-PASS, TxTag) |
| AARP Fraud Helpline | 877-908-3360 — free, staffed by fraud specialists |
Never call back or click a link from the message itself. Verify everything by going to your toll agency's official website directly.
If you entered your name, address, card, or a password on a fake toll page, treat it like identity theft. Our guides walk you through locking down your accounts, freezing your credit, and reporting it — step by step.