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by Lisa Fletcher
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WASHINGTON (7News) — Are you a driver? Then you're a target. A sophisticated and rapidly escalating scam is flooding cell phones with fake toll notifications, and it's not just annoying – it's a serious threat to your wallet and personal data. We uncovered the alarming scale of this digital deception, revealing how criminals are leveraging cutting-edge technology to trick unsuspecting motorists.
Imagine receiving a text claiming you owe money to EZPass, Fastrack, SunPass, or even DriveEz Maryland. It might seem like a simple oversight, but it could be the bait in a cleverly designed trap. Shockingly, criminals are launching as many as a billion of these fraudulent texts every single day.
"The size and scope of these are massive," warns cybersecurity expert Dr. J. Michael Skiba, who has tracked these scams closely. "And they're run by very dangerous criminal syndicates."
Skiba has firsthand experience with these types of cybercrime. “I was based in Southeast Asia for a while working for the UN [United Nations], and this is exactly what we worked on,” said Skiba. “There's factories in those areas where billions of these are sent every single day with AI because it's all done just by algorithms and a computer.”
Skiba said up to 90% of the phone numbers targeted by these scams aren't even real. The criminals are casting a wide net, and your response is what tells them they've found a live one.
"The whole trick here, and as far as prevention is, not to engage at all," said Skiba.
Any interaction – even a simple reply – signals to the AI that your number is active and that you're a potential victim. This opens the floodgates to even more scam attempts and phishing attacks.
The severity of this issue has prompted a united front from law enforcement and consumer protection agencies. The FBI, US Attorneys General, state transportation departments, and the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) have all issued urgent warnings to the public.
Christopher Brown, a Consumer Protection Attorney at the FTC, said the financial impact is enormous.
"The amount of money that consumers reported losing in impersonation scams is the second-highest reported in terms of reported loss, with about $2.95 billion in consumer losses in 2024," said Brown.
With more than 5,000 miles of toll roads in the U.S. and a staggering 9.6 billion toll transactions in 2023, the potential for profit is immense, and the likelihood of a scam text landing on the phone of a toll system user is high. But some regions are particularly vulnerable.
The DMV is a prime target for these scams.
"You have tons of traffic in and out of D.C.,” said Skiba. “You have a very transient working population going back and forth. Those are highly, highly targeted because they have different road tolls, they also have bridge tolls." This complexity and the sheer volume of drivers create a perfect storm for scammers.
The Maryland Transportation Authority (MDTA) has reported nearly 40,000 customer complaints related to these toll scams.
"Since January, these toll scams have grown up about 900%," said Skiba. "It's unbelievable. I've never seen a statistic grow that fast in one specific area, which means that they're being successful at it."
And they're successful because, unfortunately, people click the links.
Crucially: DO NOT CLICK ANY LINKS in suspicious text messages claiming you owe tolls. Legitimate toll agencies will never demand payment via text. If you're unsure, contact the relevant agency directly through their official channels.
Verify Tolls Directly: If you receive a suspicious text and want to confirm your toll status, contact your toll service provider through their official website or customer service line. For Virginia, you can find information here.
Report the Scam: Filing a report helps authorities track and combat these crimes. Report the scam to the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3). Include the phone number the text came from and the website link provided in the text.
Check Your Accounts: If you're concerned about your EZ-Pass Virginia account, here's helpful information from the agency.
Maryland Toll Information: The MDTA told us that DriveEzMD will never contact customers via text for toll debt. The agency offered the following ways to manage your Maryland tolls:
Remember to delete any suspicious text messages, and if you've clicked a link or provided information, take immediate steps to secure your personal and financial information and dispute any unauthorized charges.
Keep your phone's software updates to protect against malware and report suspicious texts to the FTC, even if it seems unnecessary. This data helps the agency track trends and initiate investigations.