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

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

"E-ZPass: You have an outstanding toll balance of $6.99. Pay now to avoid a $50 late fee." Or: "Final notice from the DMV: you have an unpaid traffic ticket. Pay today to avoid license suspension." It comes with a link and a deadline, and the amount is small enough that paying seems easier than checking. This is toll and traffic ticket smishing, one of the most widespread text scams in the United States, and the FBI has warned about it. Toll agencies and DMVs don't demand payment through links in unexpected texts: check only on the official website you look up yourself.

How does the fake fine scam work?

1. The text. It imitates a toll agency (E-ZPass, SunPass, FasTrak, The Toll Roads, or a state toll authority), a state DMV, or a court. Often it uses the right state, so it feels local.
2. A small amount and a threat. A few dollars of tolls or a modest ticket, plus a much bigger "late fee," a license or registration suspension, or "legal action."
3. The link. It leads to a convincing copy of an official payment page, with a domain that looks similar but isn't the agency's.
4. The goal. Your card number, expiration date, and security code, and sometimes your name, address, and driver's license number. With that, they make other charges or sell your data.
5. The follow-up. Some pages ask for a "verification code" that's actually your bank's one-time code to approve a bigger charge or add your card to a digital wallet.

How do I recognize the fake text?

• It arrives from an unknown number, an email address, or a number from another country.
• The link isn't the agency's official domain: extra words, odd endings, or misspellings.
• It doesn't include specific details such as your license plate, the date, or the exact place of the toll or violation.
• The tone is urgent: "final notice," "today," "suspension."
• It asks for your card details and sometimes for a code sent by your bank.
• You haven't driven on a toll road in that state, or you have a transponder that pays automatically.

How do I check whether I have a real fine?

• Tolls: log in to your toll account through the agency's official website or app, which you look up yourself. If you don't have an account, search for the toll authority of the state the text mentions and use its official "pay by plate" or lookup tool.
• Traffic tickets: real tickets usually come in person from an officer or by mail, with a citation number. You can check with the court or the state DMV listed on the citation, through their official websites.
• Never use the link or the phone number in the text to verify.

What do I do if I already entered my card?

1. Call your card issuer immediately using the number on the back of your card. Ask them to block the card and issue a new one.
2. Dispute any charges you don't recognize.
3. If you entered a code from your bank, tell the bank: you may have approved a charge or added your card to someone else's digital wallet.
4. If you gave your driver's license number or other personal details, watch for identity theft and use IdentityTheft.gov if needed.
5. Watch for follow-up texts or calls "from your bank" about the problem. Call your bank yourself.

Where do I report it?

• Forward the text to 7726 (SPAM) so your carrier can block similar messages, then delete it.
• To the FBI's IC3, including the phone number that texted you and the website listed in the text, as the FBI recommends.
• To the FTC at ReportFraud.ftc.gov.
• CISA's guide to recognizing and reporting phishing has more tips.
• In NoCall: report the number in the spam numbers directory.

Frequently asked questions

I do drive on toll roads. How can I be sure? Log in to your toll account or the toll authority's official site directly. If you really owe something, it will show up there.

Can my license really be suspended for an unpaid toll? Unpaid tolls and tickets can have consequences in some states, but those come through official notices and processes, not through a text with a link.

I only tapped the link but didn't enter anything. Am I at risk? The risk is low if you didn't enter information or download anything. Close the page, delete the text, and report it.

In short

Toll and ticket texts work because the amount is small and the threat is big. Don't tap the link, check on the official website yourself, and never enter your card from a text. If you already did, block the card with your bank. And report the number in the NoCall spam numbers directory so other drivers are warned.