It’s a Scam: FBI Warns Americans Not to Click Links in Road Toll Text Messages

The FBI is urging Americans to be cautious of scam road toll collection texts that have been circulating nationwide, with more than 2,000 complaints filed this month alone.

These messages, known as smishing scams (a form of phishing conducted through SMS texts), impersonate state toll agencies and aim to trick recipients into providing sensitive financial information, including credit card numbers and bank account details.

According to the FBI, the fraudulent texts claim the recipient has an unpaid or outstanding toll balance that could result in fines or even suspended driving privileges. The scam has been reported in multiple states and even in Ontario, Canada, using almost identical language to deceive victims.

The FBI advises anyone receiving these scam texts to immediately delete the message and file a complaint with the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center at www.ic3.gov.

Cybersecurity firm Palo Alto Networks recently reported that a threat actor registered over 10,000 domains to carry out these scams. In addition to toll collection impersonations, some messages also claim to be from package delivery services.

While Apple devices typically block links from unknown senders, scammers are bypassing this protection by encouraging users to reply with “Y,” which can reopen the communication and expose users to further fraud risks.