A text says you owe an unpaid toll. Should you pay?

The problem

A text says you have an outstanding toll balance, and that a late fee will be added if you do not pay soon. It includes a link. The amount is usually small, which makes it tempting to clear it quickly and move on.

The message is not from a toll service. The link goes to a website built to take your card details.

How it can happen

In April 2024 the FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center issued a public service announcement about this scam. Since early March 2024 it had received more than 2,000 complaints about fake texts posing as road toll services in at least three states. The wording was nearly identical in every report, while the amounts and sender numbers varied. Each text contained a link to a site that imitated the name of the state's toll service, and the scam appeared to be moving from state to state.

Why does it work? Toll roads are common, and many drivers use more than one system, so a notice from an unfamiliar one is easy to believe. A small balance feels like something to clear. A deadline for a late fee adds pressure.

The FTC has described a related text in which a QR code is offered to pay a traffic violation. It may carry a state seal, a fake case number and a fake hearing date. Scanning the code can lead to attempts to steal personal information or to install malware.

How to avoid it

The FBI's advice from the announcement is short.

1. Delete the text. Do not click, reply or call a number in it.
2. Check your account properly. Use the toll service's official website, typed in by you, or contact the service on its official customer service number.
3. If you clicked or entered information, secure your personal information and financial accounts. Call your card issuer on the number on the card and dispute any charges you do not recognise.
4. File a complaint at ic3.gov. Include the phone number the text came from and the website listed in the message.
5. Also report the text by forwarding it to 7726 (SPAM) so your carrier can block similar messages, and report at ReportFraud.ftc.gov. Our guide on how to report a scam in the US gives the steps.

If you are not sure whether a notice is real, the FTC's advice for a similar court notice is to look up the official website or phone number yourself, using details you already know are correct, not the ones in the text.

Things to watch

• A toll notice from a state or service you have never used.
• A link to pay immediately.
• A threat of a late fee or other consequence.
• A sender number that changes between messages.
• A website address that imitates the toll service's name but is not the official one.
• A QR code in a text.

For a parallel text pattern that mimics a courier, see our article on the package delivery text. The method is the same: leave the link, and go to the official site yourself.