Don't Fall For These Toll Road Text Scam Messages

If you’ve received a text or two recently that urges you to pay your toll fine before you face further consequences, you’re not alone. The recent toll road text scam has reached new heights. 

The trouble is, the verbiage is convincing enough that many people are falling for it. Now more than ever, it’s important to remain vigilant in the war against identity theft. So, here’s everything you need to know. 

Received a Toll Road Text Scam?

The exact wording of each toll road text message varies, but they’re generally telling people that they’ve missed a toll road payment and owe a small fee that will only increase if they don’t pay now. Then, there’s a link to a bogus website and that’s where things really go south. 

A Huge Increase In the Past Three Months

Recently, cybersecurity firm Trend Micro reported a 900% increase in these text scams within the last three months. They know this because they’re seeing a huge influx of searches for “toll road scams.” If that volume of text messages is going out, the scam must be working or else it wouldn’t be so widespread. 

The Verbiage Of These Texts

What is a toll road scam going to look like if you receive one? Here’s an example of the verbiage: 

Please pay your Florida tolls by February 8, 2025. To avoid excessive late fees and possible legal action on your bill, pay your tolls promptly. Thank you for your cooperation and we wish you a happy holiday. 

https://thetollroad.com-jktp.top/us

(Please reply Y, then exit the text message and open it again to activate the link, or copy the link to your Safari browser and open it)

You can see how it sounds relatively authoritative and serious. But, if you look at the phone number these messages are coming from, it’s usually a foreign number like +63 910 431 4286. If, indeed, anyone from the state of Florida owed money on their SunPass, surely it wouldn’t be coming from the Philippines. 

Typically, iPhones have a safety feature that blocks links coming through from people who aren’t in our contact list. But, these hackers appear to be advanced enough to find a way around that. 

Who’s Behind It?

The same firm, Trend Micro, believes Chinese criminal gangs are behind this. So, after someone clicks on the link and pays a small fee for their missed toll, that’s hardly the problem. The problem is, now, they’ve mined all their data that can then be used for identity theft. 

Another security firm, Censys, has uncovered 60,000 domains with bogus links to pay a toll road fine. According to the firm, it costs these criminals about $90,000 to buy all those links in bulk. Can you imagine what kind of money they’re pulling in to pay such a costly fee upfront? 

Warnings to Be Vigilant

The Ohio Turnpike and Infrastructure Commission received such an influx of calls to their customer service center when these texts first went out, they deemed it important enough to release a public service video on the matter. Other states have been joining in, as well, like Louisiana and Vermont. 

The most important thing to do is block the number and/or delete it and report it as spam. Don’t be tempted to reply to the message because all that does is tip off the scammer that your number is active and they’ll keep targeting you. 

When In Doubt, Trust Your Instincts

When you see an urgent “pay now” message come through your cell phone or email, always think twice. Would that company really be texting you? What number is it coming from? What email address is it coming from? It’s most likely a toll road text scam. 

Like the residents of Ohio, don’t ever hesitate to contact the company in question directly. In the end, you could be doing your fellow man a favor by exposing this ongoing concern. 

For more on this ongoing scam and – hopefully – news about its continual decline, keep coming back for more updates. We’re here to help you stay financially fit and free from each new wave of cyber scams.