Scams explained
What is the unpaid toll text scam?
A text message says you owe a small unpaid toll, often a few dollars, and gives a link to pay. The link leads to a look-alike website that collects your card number and personal details. The text uses the name of a real toll agency, such as E-ZPass, SunPass or FasTrak, or a state motor vehicle office.
Drawn from 301 news stories in the Elderus archive. Last updated October 17, 2026.
If a message like this reached you, you were right to stop and look it up. These are professional operations, and they reach careful people every day.
What our news archive shows
301 news stories in the Elderus archive mention the unpaid toll text scam, the earliest from March 2024. Together they name 38 states. The places named most often: Florida (30), California (26), Illinois (20), Pennsylvania (16) and New York (15).
What people were asked to hand over
Across the 131 stories with this scam in the headline:
Stories added each month in 2026
The busiest month so far this year was May 2026, with 5 stories.
What does the unpaid toll text scam look like?
- A text from an unfamiliar number, sometimes an email address or a number from another country.
- The name of a real toll system or state DMV, often with an official-looking seal or logo.
- A small amount owed, sometimes under a dollar, with a late fee or license suspension if it is not paid by a deadline.
- A link to a website whose address does not match the agency's real site.
How does the unpaid toll text scam work?
- The message arrives by text, often to thousands of numbers at once. Most people who get it have driven on a toll road at some point, so it seems plausible.
- The link opens a page that copies the real agency's design and asks for a card number, expiration date, security code, name and address.
- Whatever is typed in goes to the criminals, who use the card or sell the details. A reply or a payment also confirms the phone number belongs to a real person, which brings more scam texts.
How it has shown up in the news
A text styled as the New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission said the driver owed an unpaid toll and had 12 hours to pay through a link.
Read the story →Colorado reporting described toll texts asking for very small amounts, sometimes 99 cents, which helps the senders learn which phone numbers belong to real people.
Read the story →New York drivers received texts and imitation websites saying E-ZPass fees or traffic fines were due by a deadline.
Read the story →What should I do if I get one?
- Leave the link alone. If you want to check whether you owe a toll, type your toll agency's website address yourself, or call the number on your account statement or the back of your toll pass.
- If you entered a card number, call the bank or card company using the number on the back of the card and ask them to cancel it.
- If you entered your Social Security number or driver's license number, IdentityTheft.gov walks through the next steps.
Call the bank or card company first, using the number on the back of your card. The sooner they hear, the more they can stop. Then report it. Step-by-step help if you were scammed →
Not sure whether a message is a scam? Paste it into the Scam Checker →
Who do I report it to?
Your state's Adult Protective Services and attorney general take reports too. Find the numbers for Florida, California, Illinois, Pennsylvania, or any state.
Common questions
Do real toll agencies send text messages?
Some do. The Pennsylvania Turnpike announced a pilot in 2026 to text drivers about unpaid tolls, which makes a fake text harder to spot by sight alone. The safe habit is the same either way: check your balance by typing the agency's website yourself or calling the number on your statement.
Why do the texts ask for so little money?
News reports in our archive describe amounts as low as 99 cents. A small charge feels easy to pay without much thought, and the real goal is the card number and personal details typed into the fake page.
I clicked the link but did not type anything. Is that a problem?
Opening the page alone usually exposes little. Close it, delete the text, and forward it to 7726 first if you can.
Sources
- Toll scammers are now asking for less money; here's why - KOAA koaa.com · August 2026
- New Jersey Drivers Warned About Real-looking Toll text scam wpgtalkradio.com · February 2026
- PA Turnpike to begin texting drivers about unpaid tolls despite previous warning about scams - 6ABC 6abc.com · April 2026
- Scams Claim Customer Owes Fines for Traffic Tickets or for E-ZPass Fees governor.ny.gov · December 2025
- Chances are, you’ve gotten a scam text about unpaid toll charges or know someone who has. Now scammers are going even further and pretending to be the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) from states al... consumer.ftc.gov · December 2025
How we count
Elderus collects news reports about fraud against older adults every day. A story counts toward this page when its headline or summary describes the unpaid toll text scam. Copies of one story syndicated to several outlets count once, and stories that fail our quality checks (no usable summary, video transcripts, coverage outside the U.S.) are left out. States are the ones named in each story's headline and summary. Payment methods come from the stories with the scam in the headline. Monthly counts begin in January 2026 and use the date each story entered our archive. These figures describe news coverage. They do not measure how often the scam happens, since most scams are never reported in the news.