Greg's Corner

FBI Warns: Toll Text Scam Sweeping the U.S.

By Greg Collier

The latest wave of scams preying on unsuspecting Americans has taken the form of fraudulent road toll collection texts, prompting the FBI to issue a public warning. These deceptive messages claim that recipients have outstanding toll balances, threatening fines or even suspension of driving privileges if they fail to make immediate payment. But rather than being legitimate notices from state toll authorities, these texts are part of a growing cybercrime operation designed to steal personal and financial information.

This type of scam falls under ‘smishing’, a variant of phishing that relies on SMS messages rather than emails. The scammers’ approach is alarmingly effective. Messages appear authentic, often using official-sounding language and formatting that mirrors legitimate toll collection agencies. The scam is spreading rapidly, shifting from state to state with nearly identical wording in each new location.

Authorities are urging recipients not to engage with these messages. The FBI recommends reporting them through its Internet Crime Complaint Center and then deleting them without responding. Unfortunately, the fraudsters behind this scheme have refined their methods to circumvent certain smartphone security features. For example, while Apple restricts clickable links in texts from unknown senders, these scammers prompt users to reply with ‘Y’ to re-establish communication, bypassing this safeguard.

A cybersecurity analysis revealed that bad actors have registered over 10,000 domains to facilitate these scams, targeting toll services and package delivery systems across multiple states and even into Canada. The scale of this operation suggests a level of coordination that goes beyond the typical small-scale scam.

Historically, the most frequently reported phone scam involved fraudulent jury duty claims, where scammers would impersonate court officials and demand immediate payment under the threat of arrest. However, at least anecdotally, the toll text scam appears to have surpassed it in prevalence. With so many Americans accustomed to electronic toll payments, these fraudulent messages often seem credible at first glance, increasing the likelihood of engagement.

The unfortunate reason this scam is becoming so common is simple, it’s working. Scammers wouldn’t keep running these schemes if they weren’t succeeding in tricking victims into handing over their personal and financial information. Every person who falls for the scam encourages criminals to expand their operations, making it even more widespread.

The best defense remains skepticism. State agencies do not request payments through unsolicited text messages, and any demand for financial information via text should be treated with extreme caution. As the scam continues to evolve, staying informed is key to avoiding falling victim to these deceptive tactics.