Fake fine or unpaid toll text: what to do and how to check if it's real

Fake fine or unpaid toll text: what to do and how to check if it's real

"Linkt: you have an unpaid toll of $7.85. Pay now to avoid a $150 administration fee." Or: "Revenue NSW: your fine is overdue. Pay today to avoid suspension of your driver licence." Plus a link. These texts imitate toll operators, state fines agencies and even myGov, and they work because almost every driver in Australia goes through a toll or has had a fine at some point. Don't pay through the link. Check through the official website or app, typed in yourself.

How does the fake fine scam work?

1. The text. It names a toll operator (Linkt, E-Toll and others), a state fines agency (Revenue NSW, Fines Victoria and their equivalents in other states), a transport department or a council. It mentions a small amount and a looming penalty: extra fees, licence suspension, vehicle registration cancelled.
2. The link. It leads to a convincing copy of the official site, with logos, the state crest and an urgent banner.
3. The form. You're asked for your licence or registration number (to make it feel real) and then your full card details.
4. The code. Many fake sites then ask for the one-time code your bank texts you. That code approves a much larger payment, or adds your card to a digital wallet the scammer controls.

The amount is small on purpose. The scammers don't want your $7.85; they want your card.

How do I recognise the fake text?

• The link isn't the official domain. Government agencies use .gov.au addresses. Fakes use lookalikes with extra words, hyphens or odd endings ("linkt-tolls-pay", "nsw-fines-au"). Toll operators have their own official domains: check them by typing the company's name into a search engine yourself, not by tapping the link.
• It threatens immediate consequences if you don't pay today.
• It doesn't include specific details: no plate number, no date, no location, no notice number you can match.
• It comes from a random mobile number, or from a sender name that looks official. Sender names can be faked, so they prove nothing.
• Sloppy writing: odd capitals, grammar mistakes or a mix of state names that don't make sense.

Some agencies and toll operators do send genuine reminders by text or email. The rule is the same either way: don't pay from the message; go to the official site or app yourself.

How do I check whether I really have a fine or an unpaid toll?

1. For fines, go to your state's fines agency directly: for example, Revenue NSW in New South Wales or Fines Victoria in Victoria. Other states and territories have their own fines or transport agencies; find them through your state government's website.
2. For tolls, log into your toll account through the operator's official app or website, or check the details on any toll notice you received by post.
3. Use the notice number from a paper fine or official notice, not one from a text.
4. If you still have doubts, call the agency using the number on its official website.

If you find nothing pending, the text was fake.

What do I do if I already entered my card?

• Call your bank now on the number on the back of your card or in its app. Ask them to block the card and issue a new one.
• If you entered a one-time code, tell your bank: a transaction may already have been approved, or your card added to a digital wallet.
• Watch your account over the following weeks and turn on alerts in your banking app.
• If you entered your licence details, consider contacting IDCARE on 1800 595 160: in some states you can replace your licence card number if it's been compromised, and IDCARE can explain the steps.

Where do I report it?

• Scamwatch, so the National Anti-Scam Centre can track the campaign.
• Police, through ReportCyber via the AFP's cybercrime page, if you lost money.
• Your phone provider. If you're with Telstra, Android users can forward the text to 7226, and iPhone users can use "Report Junk", as Telstra's scams page explains. Other carriers have their own options.
• The agency or company impersonated, through its official website.
• The spam numbers directory, so others recognise the sender.

Frequently asked questions

Do fines agencies or toll companies really send texts? Some do send reminders by text or email, which is exactly why the fakes work. A genuine message won't pressure you into paying through an unfamiliar link. When in doubt, go to the official site or app yourself.

I do have a real fine and the text matches. Could it be genuine? It could, but a match proves nothing: scammers send the same message to thousands of people, so some will have a real fine. Pay only through the official channel, using the notice number from your official notice or account.

I only tapped the link and didn't type anything. Am I at risk? Generally, simply opening a page doesn't give away your card. Close it, don't enter anything, keep your phone updated and delete the text. If you entered anything at all, follow the steps above.

What if it comes by email or WhatsApp? Same scam, different channel. The defence doesn't change: don't pay from a link you've been sent; check through the official site or app yourself.

In short

A text about an unpaid toll or overdue fine with a payment link is almost always smishing. Don't tap, check with your state's fines agency or your toll account directly, and call your bank straight away if you entered your card. And report the sender in the NoCall spam numbers directory: these campaigns rotate numbers quickly, and every report helps.