Toll Road Scams Are In Overdrive: Here’s How To Protect Yourself

Scams

Have you received a matter connection astir an unpaid roadworthy toll? Make judge you’re not nan adjacent unfortunate of a smishing scam.

06 May 2025  •  , 4 min. read

Driving is simply a measurement of life successful nan US. The country’s sprawling suburbs and nationwide web of highways and toll roads is testament to this. But it besides creates a ample imaginable excavation of victims for scammers to target, arsenic American drivers person been uncovering retired this year.

One report claims location has been a 604% surge successful toll roadworthy scam texts since nan commencement of nan year, pinch nan week opening March 2 signaling a 98% summation from nan erstwhile week. It has prompted nan FTC, governor of New York and attorney wide of California to rumor warnings to nan public.

It’s clip to get clued up connected toll roadworthy scams.

What do toll roadworthy scams look like?

These are efficaciously text-based phishing (smishing) attempts. The extremity end is to instrumentality you into handing complete your individual aliases financial information, aliases perchance moreover to downloading malware to your device. This could see adware which floods nan surface pinch irritating popups, aliases thing much sinister, specified arsenic infostealing malware designed to harvest your accusation and logins.

Because we thin to beryllium connected nan move erstwhile we look astatine our devices, we whitethorn beryllium much distracted, and truthful inclined to click done connected that malicious link. Often, our mobile phones are besides little well-protected than our desktop computers, enabling scam messages to get through.

Here’s what to look retired for successful a emblematic toll roadworthy scam:

• An unsolicited matter requesting that you salary an outstanding sum from a caller toll roadworthy journey
• A generic greeting alternatively than a personalized intro pinch your name
• Aggressive connection designed to unit you into paying, potentially threatening fines, suspension of conveyance registration aliases antagonistic in installments reports if you don’t
• A mini costs amount, designed to make it much apt that you will salary up without asking questions
• Impersonation of a trusted toll roadworthy marque specified arsenic E-ZPass, which operates toll roads crossed 20 states, aliases moreover a authorities authority
• Request for accusation specified arsenic driver’s licence number and licence plates
• A nexus successful nan matter message, which could covertly instal malware aliases return you to a website to capable successful individual and financial information
• A phishing tract besides spoofed pinch nan branding of nan morganatic toll roadworthy operator

Sometimes scams are easy to spot, specified arsenic erstwhile they are sent retired to drivers successful states pinch nary toll roads, specified arsenic Michigan aliases Wisconsin.

Examples of scam texts [sources: Reddit (1, 2 and 3)]

How to enactment safe from toll roadworthy scam texts

By knowing nan tell-tale signs of a toll roadworthy smishing attempt, you’ll beryllium little apt to autumn it. But nan bad guys are ever refining and evolving their scams, truthful it pays to support up to day pinch nan latest news. Consider signing up to services from toll roadworthy operators aliases authorities agencies that nonstop retired alerts astir caller scams.

Here are immoderate different tips to consider:

• Never click connected immoderate links successful unsolicited texts, aliases supply personal/financial information.
• Check pinch nan sender if nan matter is morganatic and you do successful truth beryllium a toll roadworthy supplier immoderate money. That intends reaching retired independently alternatively than responding to immoderate specifications connected nan matter itself.
• Sign up for an relationship pinch your toll roadworthy providers. This will thief you to negociate precocious payments much easily, and cheque nan veracity of an unsolicited matter claiming precocious payment.
• Download information package to your devices that tin scan for malicious links aliases content, and artifact covert malware installation attempts.
• Block nan number of immoderate scam (smishing) texts you receive.
• Report toll roadworthy smishing attempts. This will thief support others safe by helping tech providers and rule enforcers amended understand caller threats.
• Delete immoderate scam texts erstwhile publication and reported..

What to do if you deliberation you’ve been scammed

In nan moreover nan worst happens and you deliberation you may person fallen victim to a toll roadworthy smishing text, don’t panic and travel these steps:

• Freeze your slope cards and pass your slope (if you person shared financial specifications pinch nan scammers)
• Initiative a in installments frost pinch nan 3 main in installments reporting agencies (Experian, TransUnion, Equifax). This will limit nan expertise of fraudsters to unfastened caller lines of in installments pinch your details, without affecting your in installments score
• Monitor your slope and in installments paper accounts for immoderate different activity
• Report nan incident to nan applicable toll roadworthy authority
• Report nan scam to nan FTC. There whitethorn not beryllium overmuch they tin do, but it will thief successful nan conflict to protect others against akin smishing attempts
• Change immoderate passwords you mightiness person shared pinch nan scammers. Ideally you should usage unique, beardown credentials, stored successful a password manager
• Improve relationship information pinch multi-factor authentication, which intends that moreover if scammers get clasp of relationship logins, they cannot proceed immoderate further
• Download anti-malware to your instrumentality and tally a scan. This will cheque if there’s immoderate malware and region it

Toll roadworthy scams are large business. One study claims that a azygous China-based cybercrime group registered arsenic galore arsenic 60,000 phishing domains to support 1 campaign. It besides warns that cybercriminals are progressively making usage of pre-packaged “smishing kits” which make launching specified campaigns moreover easier. Fortunately, it besides makes it easier to spot nan scams, arsenic they usually travel nan aforesaid basal format.

Stay safe – connected nan roads and connected your phone.