E-ZPass Toll Text Scam (2026): How to Spot It and What to Do

If you’ve received a text saying you owe a small unpaid toll — often just a few dollars — with a link to “pay now” to avoid a late fee, stop. It’s almost certainly a scam. The FBI has warned about it repeatedly, with tens of thousands of complaints filed and the fraud spreading from state to state. Here’s how to recognize it, and exactly what to do.

What the toll text scam looks like

The message claims to come from a toll agency such as E-ZPass, The Toll Roads, SunPass, or your state’s tolling authority. It says you have an outstanding balance — frequently a deliberately tiny amount like $6.99 — and warns of a late fee, suspended registration, or legal action unless you pay immediately through the link. Some versions first ask you to reply “Y” to “activate” the link, because replying confirms your number is live.

The real goal isn’t the few dollars. The link leads to a fake site built to look like the toll agency, where it harvests your card number, personal details, and sometimes enough to steal your identity.

The biggest giveaway

Most toll agencies do not send text messages to people who aren’t registered account holders, and they never ask for personal or payment information by text. So receiving any toll “bill” by SMS is itself a red flag. Other warning signs:

• A sense of urgency. “Pay within 12 hours or face a $50 penalty.” Panic is the whole strategy.
• An odd or foreign sender. Many of these texts come from international numbers or email-to-text addresses, not a short code.
• A link that doesn’t match the real agency. Look for misspellings or strange endings like .xyz, .top, or .vip instead of the official .com or .gov site.
• A toll road you’ve never driven. Getting an “E-ZPass” bill in a state with no E-ZPass is an instant tell.
• A request to reply “Y”. Legitimate agencies never need you to text back a letter to see a bill.

Check the message before you trust it

Not sure if a text is real? Use our free tools to check the two things that give a scam away — the sender and the link — without clicking anything:

And before you ever tap a link in a message like this, paste it into the link checker first. It inspects the URL for fake look-alike domains and risky extensions without ever visiting the page:

What to do if you get one

• Don’t click the link, and don’t reply — not even “STOP”.
• Delete the message. On both iPhone and Android you can also report it as junk.
• Check your toll account the safe way: type your toll agency’s real website address into your browser yourself, or call the number on the back of your transponder — never the number or link in the text.
• Forward the text to 7726 (SPAM) to report it to your mobile carrier for free.
• Report it to the FBI at ic3.gov, and to the FTC at reportfraud.ftc.gov.

If you already clicked or paid

Act fast. Contact your bank or card issuer immediately to dispute any charges and replace the affected card. Change the passwords for any account whose details you entered, and turn on two-factor authentication. Watch your statements closely, and consider placing a fraud alert or credit freeze with the credit bureaus if you entered personal identifying information.