Scam Alert: Texts About Fake Unpaid Tolls

Regardless of whether you’re enjoying a stay-cation or traversing an exotic destination this spring break, people across the country have been inundated with texts saying they have unpaid tolls. These texts stress that you will receive additional fines or lose your driver’s license if you don’t pay the toll fee immediately, and the texts often come from phone numbers spoofing—or falsely using—names of legitimate tolling agencies.

What to do if you receive a text about unpaid tolls?

• Don’t panic. Remember to take a pause and evaluate.
• Do not engage with the text by responding or clicking any links.
• Delete the text, report it as spam, and block the number.

If you hold an online account with your state’s tolling agency, such as Illinois’s I-PASS, legitimate toll fees can be seen under your online profile.  If you don’t have an online account, you can call the tolling agency to verify and confirm any toll fees. Find the contact information for your state’s agency by going directly to their website. Do not call any numbers in the text message.

For more information, view the CNBC article, Why toll text scam is out of control and Apple, Android can't stop it and the Federal Trade Commission’s article, Got a text about unpaid tolls? It’s probably a scam | Consumer Advice.