Unpaid-toll text scam: E-ZPass, FasTrak & I-PASS smishing
If you got a text about an unpaid toll with a link to pay, it's a scam. There is no legitimate toll-by-text billing short code — the E-ZPass, FasTrak, and I-PASS 'unpaid toll' texts sweeping the US since 2024 come from random and foreign senders with phishing links, and the FCC has issued a public advisory about them.
There is no legitimate "pay your toll by text" short code. The "unpaid toll, click to pay" texts impersonating E-ZPass, FasTrak, and I-PASS are smishing — the FCC has warned about the 2024–2026 wave. Real toll agencies use your account name and send you to their official site or app; they don't text a pay-now link to a random address.
How the toll scam works
You get a text claiming you owe a small toll balance and must pay immediately or face a late fee, with a link to a lookalike "toll services" site. The site harvests your card number and personal details. The messages arrive whether or not you use toll roads, often from foreign or clearly-random senders, because they're blasted in bulk rather than tied to any real account.
Red flags of a smishing text
- A small "unpaid toll" balance with urgency ("pay within 12 hours to avoid a $[amount] penalty").
- A generic greeting ("Dear Customer") instead of your name or account number.
- A link to a site that isn't the toll agency's official domain.
- You received it even though you don't drive that road — or don't have a toll account at all.
This matches the FCC's toll-smishing advisory. The sending numbers are spoofed or disposable, so no single number is "the scammer" — the message is. If you're unsure whether you actually owe a toll, go to your toll agency's official website directly rather than following any link.
Report a scam text: forward it to 7726 (which spells SPAM) so your mobile carrier can investigate the sender, then report it at reportfraud.ftc.gov. Don't reply or tap any links. More on 7726.
You can also report toll smishing to the FBI's IC3 at ic3.gov. Look up another sender in the short code directory, or check a number that called you.
Frequently asked questions
Are the unpaid-toll texts a scam?
Yes — the 'you have an unpaid toll, click to pay' texts sweeping the US since 2024 are a smishing scam. There is no legitimate toll-by-text billing short code; the messages come from random and foreign senders with phishing links designed to steal card details, and the FCC has issued a public advisory about them.
Do E-ZPass, FasTrak, or I-PASS text you to pay?
Not like this. Real toll agencies use your account name, not a generic 'Dear Customer', and direct you to their official website or app — they don't send a text with a pay-now link to a random address. If you're unsure whether you owe a toll, go to the agency's official site directly rather than following any link in a text.
I clicked the toll link and entered my card — what now?
Contact your bank immediately to freeze or replace the card and dispute any charges, then watch your statements. Report the message to 7726 and at reportfraud.ftc.gov. Check your actual toll balance only through the toll agency's official website.
How do I report a toll-scam text?
Forward it to 7726 (SPAM) so your carrier can investigate, report it to the FBI's IC3 (ic3.gov) and at reportfraud.ftc.gov, and delete it. Don't reply or tap the link.
Based on the named sender's own guidance and public advisories from the FTC, FCC, USPIS, and IRS. Educational information, not legal advice; areacode.fyi is independent and not affiliated with any company or agency named here.