Is the unpaid toll text a scam?

Almost certainly, if it asks you to pay through a link. The FBI received 59,271 toll scam complaints in 2024, and agencies including E-ZPass, Bay Area FasTrak, and the Pennsylvania Turnpike say they don't ask for toll payments that way.

How do I report a toll scam text?

Use your phone's "report junk" option or forward the text to 7726 (SPAM). You can also file a complaint with the FBI at ic3.gov, including the phone number that sent the text and the website it listed. Then delete the message.

How can I check if I really owe a toll?

Log in to your account on the toll agency's official website, typing the address yourself. Don't use any link or number from the text. The Pennsylvania Turnpike, for example, says official overdue toll notices start with a letter in the mail.

That text about an unpaid toll is probably a scam

A small balance, a late fee, and a link. The FBI got nearly 60,000 complaints about this text in one year.

A text says you owe a few dollars in unpaid tolls and have to pay through a link before a late fee kicks in. Don't click it. The FBI, the Federal Trade Commission, and toll agencies around the country have warned that these texts are a scam.

The FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center received 59,271 complaints about toll scams in 2024. When the agency warned about them in April 2024, it shared a typical example: "We've noticed an outstanding toll amount of $12.51 on your record. To avoid a late fee of $50.00," followed by a link to a fake payment site.

The money isn't the only thing at stake. If you click, the scammers "could get your personal info (like your driver's license number)" and "even steal your identity," the FTC warned. If you pay, they also get your credit card number.

The texts often come from an international number and ask you to reply with a "Y" to get a link, CBS News reported. The scam keeps changing. In March, Michigan's attorney general warned about a version that arrives as an image of a fake court hearing notice for a toll violation, with a QR code that leads to a bogus website. "Scammers are using toll road scams to scare residents into turning over their hard-earned money," said Attorney General Dana Nessel. The FTC has also flagged look-alike texts pretending to be state DMVs, threatening to suspend your registration and license over an unpaid traffic ticket.

The E-ZPass Group puts it bluntly on its website: "If you get a message claiming to be from the E-ZPass Group saying that you owe a toll, it is a scam!"

Bay Area FasTrak says it "does not request payment by text with a link to a website." Georgia's Peach Pass says it will never ask for personal or account information by email or text. The Pennsylvania Turnpike says it doesn't text customers about unpaid balances and that official notices about overdue tolls start with a letter in the mail.

A few agencies do send legitimate texts, usually from a short code instead of a regular phone number. So a text alone doesn't prove it's a scam. A text pushing you to pay through a link is the warning sign the FBI and FTC describe.

Don't click the link or reply. If you're worried you really owe something, check your account on the toll agency's real website, the FBI says.

"When in doubt, contact E-ZPass or Tolls By Mail via the official channels listed here before clicking any link sent via text message," said Frank G. Hoare, executive director of the New York State Thruway Authority, according to NY1.

Report the text by using your phone's "report junk" option or forwarding it to 7726, which spells SPAM. You can also file a complaint at ic3.gov. The FBI asks you to include the phone number the text came from and the website it listed. Then delete it.