Toll Text Scam: Is That Unpaid-Toll Text Real? (2026)

You are going about your day when a text arrives. It says you owe a small toll, or that a package could not be delivered, and there is a link and a deadline. It feels minor and a little annoying, which is exactly why it works. These messages are sent out by the millions, and the overwhelming majority are a scam called smishing.

The amounts are tiny on purpose. A $12 toll or a $1.99 redelivery fee feels too small to argue with, so people tap the link and enter their card details without thinking twice. This guide shows you how to recognize these texts instantly, what the scammers are really after, and how to keep your information safe.

What it is

Smishing is a scam delivered by text message. The two most common versions right now claim you owe an unpaid toll, or that a delivery (USPS, UPS, or FedEx) is on hold until you pay a small fee or confirm your address. The link in the message leads to a fake website that copies the look of the real toll agency or carrier, and its only job is to capture your card number and personal details.

What makes this scam spread so fast is how cheap and automated it is. Criminals send enormous batches of texts to random numbers, knowing that even a tiny response rate is profitable. Many of the numbers they hit have not used a toll road or are not expecting a package, but enough people are that the scam pays.

How it works

1. A text arrives out of the blue about a toll or a package.
2. It names a small amount and a short deadline so you act before you think.
3. It includes a link to a website that copies the look of a real toll agency or delivery carrier.
4. The fake page asks for your card number and personal information, which the scammer then uses to make charges or sells to other criminals.

The operation is organized and mobile. Scammers rotate the sender numbers and the fake web addresses to stay ahead of blocking, and the toll version has moved from state to state, swapping in each state’s toll brand as it goes.

A real example

Here is an actual message the FBI published, word for word: “(State Toll Service Name): We’ve noticed an outstanding toll amount of $12.51 on your record. To avoid a late fee of $50.00, visit [a fake link] to settle your balance.” The wording is nearly identical from victim to victim, with only the toll brand and the link changed.

Consider how it plays out. A man who drives a toll road to work twice a week gets this text. The amount sounds about right, and he does not want a $50 late fee, so he taps the link and types in his card number on a page that looks just like his toll account. Nothing happens, which he assumes means it worked. Two days later his card has fraudulent charges from across the country. He never owed a toll. The package version works the same way, using a “redelivery fee” and a tracking-style link.

By the numbers

• In about one month in early 2024, the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center received more than 2,000 complaints about toll smishing, from at least three states, and watched it spread state to state (FBI Alert I-041224-PSA). See more elder fraud statistics.
• Phishing and spoofing, the category that includes scam texts, is the most reported crime type to the FBI’s IC3 by number of complaints (FBI).
• Bank and delivery texts drive hundreds of millions of dollars in reported text-scam losses each year (FTC).

Red flags to watch for

• A bill or fee you do not remember, sent by text.
• A web address that is not the agency’s or carrier’s real site.
• Pressure to pay within hours to avoid a penalty.
• A request for your card number or personal details by text.
• A link that uses a slightly off or unfamiliar domain.

How to protect yourself

1. Do not tap the link. That single habit defeats this scam.
2. If you think you might owe a toll, go to your toll agency’s real website or call the number on a past bill or statement.
3. For a package, check the tracking number directly on the carrier’s official site or app.
4. Delete the text. You can forward it to 7726 to report it to your carrier, file a report at ic3.gov, and report it to the FTC at ReportFraud.ftc.gov.
5. Reduce how many of these you receive. Scammers buy phone numbers in bulk from data-broker and people-search sites. Removing your number from those sites, which a privacy or data-removal service can do for you, helps cut down on the texts in the first place.
6. Help the less tech-comfortable people in your life set a simple rule: never tap a link in a text about money. When in doubt, check the account directly or ask a family member.

If you’ve already responded

If you already tapped the link or paid, call your bank or card company right away and tell them what happened. Watch your statements for unfamiliar charges, dispute anything you do not recognize, and ask whether you should replace the card. If you entered a password that you also use elsewhere, change it on those accounts too.

In the news

• FBI IC3 alert: Smishing Scam Regarding Debt for Road Toll Services
• FBI report: internet crime losses hit a record in 2025 (AARP)

Sources

• FBI IC3 Public Service Announcement: Smishing Scam Regarding Debt for Road Toll Services
• FTC: How To Recognize and Avoid Phishing Scams
• FBI IC3: Elder Fraud
• FTC: Report fraud