Fake toll-payment texts claiming drivers owe money to programs like E-ZPass, SunPass, FasTrak, and TxTag have become the fastest-growing category of government imposter fraud in the United States. Consumers reported $3.5 billion in total losses to imposter scams in 2025, with roughly $920 million tied to government impersonators alone. Reports of government imposter scams jumped 40 percent that year, and federal officials point to toll-themed smishing as a primary driver of that spike.
Why toll-text smishing is surging across multiple states
The 40 percent rise in government imposter complaints stands out because it is not spread evenly across scam types. The Federal Trade Commission has flagged toll texts as a key factor, noting a wave of messages that mimic legitimate toll agencies, threaten late fees, and push recipients toward fraudulent payment links. These messages spoof well-known brands, including E-ZPass in the Northeast, SunPass in Florida, FasTrak in California, and TxTag in Texas, giving the scam built-in credibility with millions of drivers who already hold electronic toll accounts.
The geographic pattern suggests something more specific than a random blast. The FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center logged over 2,000 complaints about toll-related smishing texts across at least three states starting in early March 2024. That concentration raises a question worth tracking: whether scam volume clusters around states with large electronic toll account bases rather than simply following population or smartphone ownership. States running high-volume toll systems, such as Texas, Massachusetts, and North Carolina, have all issued separate public warnings, which is consistent with scammers targeting regions where drivers are already conditioned to expect toll communications.
Scammers also benefit from how tolling actually works. Many systems rely on license-plate images and postpaid billing, so drivers are used to getting notices long after they use a road or bridge. That delay makes it plausible to receive a text about an “unpaid toll from last month,” even if the driver does not recall the specific trip. By pairing that ambiguity with a countdown clock for extra “administrative fees,” criminals create a sense of urgency that pushes people to click first and think later.
$920 million in government-imposter losses and the enforcement gap
The FTC has reported that imposter fraud losses reached $3.5 billion in 2025, and the $920 million government-impersonation slice is the segment growing fastest. Toll-text schemes are effective because they exploit a routine financial interaction: most drivers with electronic accounts expect periodic balance notices, and a short message about an unpaid toll does not trigger the same suspicion as, say, a call from someone claiming to be an IRS agent.
State transportation departments have tried to break through with direct consumer guidance. The North Carolina DOT, attorney general, and turnpike authority have jointly warned that their toll program will never request payment by text and stressed that the messages are sent at random, meaning recipients do not need to hold a toll account to be targeted. In Texas, transportation officials have similarly cautioned drivers that legitimate TxTag notices arrive by mail or through secure online portals, not clickable links pushed over SMS.
Despite these warnings, enforcement remains challenging. Many campaigns originate overseas, use anonymized messaging services, and cycle through domain names and phone numbers faster than regulators can shut them down. Even when investigators identify specific operators, cross-border evidence gathering and extradition can take years, if it happens at all. The result is a widening gap between the speed of scam innovation and the slower pace of traditional law-enforcement tools.
How to recognize and avoid toll-payment smishing
Consumers can reduce their risk by learning a few consistent red flags. Toll agencies generally do not demand immediate payment by clicking a link in a text, and they do not threaten arrest, license suspension, or extreme penalties over a single missed charge. Messages that arrive on phones not associated with any toll account, or that reference roads the recipient has never used, should be treated with particular skepticism.
Instead of responding directly, drivers should navigate to their toll account using a bookmarked website or official app, or call the number printed on a physical statement or listed on the agency’s own site. Typing a web address from memory, rather than tapping a link in a message, cuts scammers out of the loop. If an account shows no outstanding balance, the text can be safely ignored and reported to state authorities or the FTC.
People who have already clicked a link should immediately stop entering information, close the browser, and scan their device for malware. Anyone who submitted payment details should contact their bank or card issuer, request a new card number, and monitor statements for unauthorized charges. If Social Security numbers or other sensitive data were shared, placing fraud alerts or credit freezes with major bureaus may be warranted.
Why the data matters
Public complaint data helps regulators see these patterns early. The FTC’s interactive fraud dashboards show how imposter scams have shifted from phone calls to texts and how losses are increasingly concentrated in specific schemes like toll-payment fraud. As agencies refine outreach based on those trends, they are urging drivers to treat any unexpected toll text as suspicious until it can be verified through an official channel.
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