Unpaid Toll Text Scam: Is That Toll Text Real?

Scam guide · Updated September 30, 2026

What the text looks like

It names a toll service, gives a small balance, and threatens a bigger fee if you don't pay fast.

Toll Services: We've noticed an outstanding toll of $12.51 on your record. To avoid a $50 late fee, please settle your balance: [link]Recreated from the example in the FBI's public warning. Don't tap links in messages like this.

The FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center has warned that these texts impersonate real toll services and lead to fake payment sites built to collect your card details. (FBI IC3)

Signs it's fake

You haven't driven a toll road recently — or not in the state it names.
A small amount plus a much larger threatened late fee.
A link to a site that isn't your toll agency's official address.
It arrived from an email address or an unfamiliar number.

What to do

Don't tap the link.
Check your account directly. Type your toll agency's real website into your browser, or call the customer service number from that site.
Report it at ic3.gov, including the sender's number and the website it linked to. You can also forward it to 7726.
Delete the text.

If you already paid or clicked

Call your card issuer from the number on your card to block it and dispute the charge, then watch your statements. If you entered a password anywhere, change it — and turn on two-step verification.

Not sure about a message you got?

Share the text, email or voicemail to Shieldr and get a plain-English verdict — safe, suspicious or scam — with the reasons it spotted. It's one more check before you tap anything, not a guarantee.

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Common questions

Do toll agencies send texts?

Some do send real notices, which is why this scam works. Never pay from the link — go to your toll agency's website yourself and look up your account.

Why is the amount so small?

A small bill feels easy to pay without thinking. The real goal is your card number.

Where do I report a fake toll text?

The FBI asks people to report these at ic3.gov with the sender's number and the website address.

Related: the “you missed jury duty” scam, another message that pretends to come from a government office, and how to report a scam text.

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The unpaid toll text scam