Texts about an unpaid toll

What the text says

The message claims you owe money for a toll you didn't pay. It usually names an exact dollar amount, mentions a late fee or a penalty, and gives you a link to "settle your balance."

The Federal Trade Commission's January 2025 alert says scammers are posing as tolling agencies all over the country, and that these texts arrive whether or not you've driven through a toll. The FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) warned about the same pattern in April 2024: by then it had received more than 2,000 complaints since early March about texts posing as toll services in at least three states. The texts used almost identical wording; the FBI said the link in them was "created to impersonate the state's toll service name," and that the phone numbers appeared to change from state to state.

The FTC's figures for 2024 list fake notices about unpaid tolls among the most reported text-message scams that year.

What the link is for

The link opens a page dressed up as a toll payment site. It asks for your bank or credit card details. The few dollars aren't the goal: the FTC says "Reports show these scammers are really after credit card and even Social Security numbers." The FTC calls it a phishing scam, and says that if you click the link, the scammers "could get your personal info (like your driver’s license number) — and even steal your identity."

Some of these texts end with a line like "Please reply Y, then exit the text message and open it again to activate the link," the wording in a February 2025 warning from Arkansas's Attorney General; the Massachusetts Registry of Motor Vehicles quoted a similar one in May 2026, in a scam text about unpaid "driving infractions" rather than tolls. The reply is what the sender wants. On iPhones running iOS 17 and 18 with Filter Unknown Senders turned on, Apple's guide says you can't open links sent by an unknown sender until you reply or add them to your contacts, so replying switches their link on. On iOS 26 it works differently: Apple says that responding to a message from an unknown sender "does not automatically mark the sender as known." Apple's guide for iOS 27 says links from a sender it has screened open once you "mark them as known or add them to Contacts." Whatever your phone, don't reply, and don't copy the link into your browser.

Why it's convincing

Most drivers have used a toll road at some point, many states bill tolls by mail or through an account, and the amount is small. The message doesn't have to fool anyone for long; it only needs one quick payment. That's why the checks below don't depend on spotting a mistake in the text. They work just as well on a message that looks perfect.

How to check without the link

1. Don't tap the link and don't reply. The FTC's advice is to leave unexpected texts alone and check first.
2. Go to your toll account yourself. If you have a transponder or a toll account, sign in through the app you already use, or type the address printed on a past statement or bill. The FTC says to reach out to "the state's tolling agency" (the one the text claims to be from, or the one that runs the road you drove, which may not be in your own state) using a phone number or website you know is real, never the contact details in the text. If you have to look the agency up, skip the ads: the FTC warns that "the first search results you see might be paid ads." Checking through your own account works whether or not the text turns out to be real.
3. If you drove a rental car, check your rental receipt or the rental company's own app or website for any toll charges.
4. If you're curious where the link goes, copy it (don't open it) and paste it into our link checker. It shows the registered domain in plain words and never opens the link.
5. Report it and delete it. Use your phone's "Report spam" option, or forward the text to 7726 (the digits spell SPAM), as the FTC recommends; the IRS says forwarding "helps your wireless provider spot and block similar messages." It's a code for forwarding texts, not a number to call. The FBI also asks people to file a complaint at ic3.gov including the number the text came from and the website it listed, so if you'll do that, take a screenshot before you use "Report spam": on an iPhone, Apple's guide for iOS 27 names the button "Delete and Report Spam."

A close cousin: texts about a traffic ticket

In April 2026 the FTC described a rise in reports about texts claiming a traffic violation. These carry a QR code and are made to look official, with a state seal, a case number and a hearing date and time. They offer two choices, go to the hearing or pay now, and warn of fines and court judgments. The FTC's advice is the same: don't respond and don't scan the code. If you think it could be real, check the court's website or call the court using contact information you already know is right.

More on scanning codes safely: QR codes on parking meters, packages and texts.

If you already tapped the link, paid or typed in your details

The FBI's advice covers anyone who "clicked any link or provided your information": secure your personal information and financial accounts, and dispute any unfamiliar charges. If you paid or typed in a card number, call your card company today, at the number on the back of your card. Tell them you typed your card number into a scam site, ask them to cancel the card and send you a new one, and dispute any charge you didn't make. If you paid the scam site, ask for that money back too: when a scammer tricked you into paying with a card, the FTC says to report it immediately and "Ask them to refund your money." Then follow up in writing: our "if you clicked" page explains the 60-day limits for disputing a charge. If you also gave your driver's license number or other personal details, the free steps on our "if you clicked" page walk through what to do next, including how to freeze your credit.

Related patterns

• Texts about a package or a delivery problemA missed delivery, a bad address or postage due, and a link.
• QR codes on parking meters, packages and textsA square code hides a link you can't read until you scan it.
• “Your account is locked” and other account warningsA problem with your account, and a link to sign in and fix it.