Drivers across the United States are receiving text messages claiming they owe money for unpaid tolls, and the FBI wants every one of those messages deleted immediately. The bureau’s Internet Crime Complaint Center logged over 2,000 complaints about the scheme beginning in early March 2024, with reports initially arriving from at least three states before spreading nationwide. The scam works by impersonating toll agencies, inserting fake payment links, and threatening late fees to pressure recipients into handing over personal and financial data.
Why the toll-fee text scam keeps catching people off guard
The reason this particular fraud has gained traction is straightforward: millions of Americans already receive legitimate text alerts from toll systems like E-ZPass, SunPass, and state DMVs. That conditioning makes a fake toll message feel routine rather than suspicious. When a text arrives warning of an outstanding balance and a looming penalty, the instinct for many recipients is to tap the link and resolve it quickly.
Scammers exploit that reflex. The messages typically claim a small unpaid toll balance, include a link to a convincing but fraudulent payment page, and threaten an added fee if the recipient does not act fast. The IC3 public service alert describes the pattern as “smishing,” a term for SMS-based phishing, and notes that the fake URLs are designed to closely mimic real toll-agency domains. Anyone who clicks and enters credit card numbers or personal details risks identity theft and direct financial loss.
The scale of text-based fraud more broadly adds context to why this variant is so effective. The Federal Trade Commission reported that total losses to text message scams reached $470 million in 2024, with fake toll notices ranking among the most common themes. That figure reflects only reported losses, meaning the real total is almost certainly higher.
Federal and state agencies confirm the scam’s reach
The FBI alert was not an isolated warning. Multiple state agencies have issued their own notices, each confirming that the scam has targeted their residents and that their legitimate toll programs do not operate the way the fraudulent texts suggest. The FTC published consumer guidance explaining the mechanics of the scheme and advising recipients to avoid clicking any links, verify any real toll balance through an official agency website or phone number, and forward the suspicious text to 7726 (the universal spam-reporting shortcode) before deleting it.
State-level responses reinforce the federal picture. California’s DMV stated plainly that it will never send a text message requesting personal or financial information, and warned that scammers have begun impersonating DMV branding in addition to toll agencies. Delaware’s toll operations issued a separate alert noting a spike in SMS phishing that referenced E-ZPass, clarifying that E-ZPass Delaware does not contact customers by text or email to collect violation payments or request account funding. Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel warned consumers about messages using SunPass branding and a fake $50 late fee, specifying that the legitimate program does not send those texts.
The geographic diversity of these warnings, spanning the West Coast, the Mid-Atlantic, and the Midwest, shows the campaign is not confined to states with heavy toll infrastructure. Even states with minimal toll roads have reported complaints, which suggests the scammers are blasting messages indiscriminately rather than targeting specific toll-system customer lists.
What federal data still does not show about FBI-tracked toll scams
Several gaps in the public record limit a full understanding of the campaign’s damage. The IC3’s complaint count of over 2,000 dates to its initial alert and has not been publicly updated with a more recent national total or a state-by-state breakdown. The FTC’s $470 million figure covers all text message scams in 2024, not just toll-fee fraud, and no agency has isolated the financial losses attributable specifically to fake toll texts.
There is also no public record of coordinated enforcement action or data-sharing agreements between state toll authorities aimed at disrupting the operation. Individual agencies have issued warnings, but the absence of visible cross-state coordination leaves open questions about whether law enforcement is tracking a single organized campaign or multiple copycat operations using the same playbook.
For anyone who has received one of these messages, the practical steps are clear. Do not tap the link. Do not reply. If there is any concern about an actual unpaid toll, go directly to the official website of the relevant toll agency or call the number printed on a billing statement. Forward the text to 7726 and then delete it. Anyone who has already clicked a link or entered payment information should file a complaint with the IC3 and monitor their financial accounts for unauthorized charges. The FTC also directs victims to report fraud and, if personal data was compromised, to visit IdentityTheft.gov to begin a recovery plan.
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*This article was researched with the help of AI, with human editors creating the final content.
