Numerous toll road billing companies are being spoofed. - Nomorobo's Digital Tracking System has been tracking a massive influx of fake road toll billing texts in recent months. In a single day, Nomorobo recorded 5,345 fake toll road billings. The technical term for these texts is "smishing," which means sending texts posing as a legitimate company or person hoping to collect valuable personal information. Here are three of the most common recent examples:
E-ZPass: We noticed your vehicle has unpaid tolls from February 2025. Please make sure to pay on time by March 18 to keep your driver's license active. If you fail to pay on time, you may face DMV restrictions and license revocation. There are also additional fees and legal consequences for late payments. Please complete your payment here: https://bit.ly/43UKAEJ?Gbl=jsMpJ294Rc;
Fast Trak. Don't risk a fine! Pay your FastTrak tolls by March 17, 2025 to avoid a penalty and keep your license. Pay here: https://cxnht.top Reply Y and get back on the road or use Safari.
My Good To Go! Final Notice: Unpaid Toll - We are notifying you that there is an unpaid toll associated with your My Good To Go! account. Please be aware that if the payment is not completed by March 20, 2025, you may face penalties or legal action: .https://bit.ly/3FGP3Rx?obl=T3mejRcWLq.
Earlier this month, all of these major toll operators, as well as the FBI and several state AG offices, issued warnings about these fake texts being sent in their names like this:
"We’re getting reports of fake texts warning of overdue bills and asking for payments or threatening legal action," the Washington State Department of Transportation said. "These aren’t from Good To Go! and link to a fake website."
The Maryland Transportation Authority said this:
"We want to alert you that several phony emails are circulating informing E-ZPass Maryland customers they have debt to pay for using a toll road. This is a "phishing" email seeking to obtain your personal information. While E-ZPass Maryland periodically sends marketing emails for upcoming events, projects or surveys, we will never send an unsolicited email demanding payment or requesting sensitive personal information such as credit card information, social security numbers, usernames, passwords, etc.
And here is the FBI warning:
Since early March 2024, the FBI Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) has received over 2,000 complaints reporting smishing texts representing road toll collection services from at least three states. IC3 complaint information indicates the scam may be moving from state-to-state.
What happens if you click on the link? - Nomorobo investigators have clicked on these phony texts to see where the link takes you. (Warning: DO NOT TRY THIS AT HOME.) It takes you to a phishing (fake) website that looks identical to the real site. (See the fake Good to Go site below.) This is simply a screen grab of the actual Good to Go site that has been modified to look like the real site.
When you click on the "Pay now" button, it takes you to another phishing page that looks like this:
This may seem like a lot of work just to charge $6.99 on the person's credit card. The truth is the scammer wants more than the $6.99 - he wants your credit card details so he or she can sell it online. Below are some ads that appear on the digital communications platform Telegram, a favorite of scammers.
What should you do if you get one of these texts? - The most important thing to know about these scam texts is that none of the firms send customers a text telling them that they owe money in this fashion. If you are concerned about your toll account, you should delete the fake phishing text and independently log into your account to see if any money is owed.
Here are some red flags that should alert you that a text is a scam:
*There is threat of fines or even jail time if you don't comply.
*There is an urgent need to respond
*The link they ask you to follow does not contain an obvious link to the road authority being spoofed.
*The message is vague about when and where you incurred the toll.
If you receive a suspicious toll fee notice via email or text, report it to:
Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) (FBI) at www.ic3.gov
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) at www.FTC.gov
More Examples
Virginia Toll Road Reminder: This is a reminder about the unpaid toll from your recent trip. An additional fee will be charged if the payment is not made promptly. Please settle it here: https://google.com/url?q=https://ez-va.net.
U.S. Police Violation Alert: You have not recently paid a highway toll, a ticket will be generated for you to avoid law enforcement officers coming to your door. Please complete the payment within 24 hours:
https://thetollroads-etc-mso.top/C98oQHaExw
Ohio Toll Roads: This is concerning the unpaid toll from your latest journey. A fee will be applied to your bill if it is not settled promptly. https://google.com/url?q=https://ezpass-oh.org
Last Chance: Pay Your Toll Violation Immediately. Your outstanding toll remains unpaid after repeated notices. As of April 7, 2025, failure to pay means: NH DMV will suspend your registration. You may face legal consequences and damage to your credit history. Theres also a risk of vehicle impoundment during weekend stops. Resolve this matter quickly to avert further consequences: https://shorturl.at/tBjMr?cgA=hhEBrI30
