Ohio officials warn that text messages demanding payment for unpaid tolls, court fees or traffic tickets are likely scams.
Imposter scams are among the most common scams reported in Ohio. In these schemes, someone pretends to be a government agency, police, court, BMV, utility or trusted business contact to demand payment.
Officials issued several warnings in March about a text‑message scam that sends recipients an official‑looking court document claiming that they owe unpaid tolls or parking fines and must pay immediately or appear in court. The document includes a QR code that directs recipients to a payment website.
Here’s what to know about these scams in Ohio and how to avoid them.
Ohio is seeing rising scam and fraud activity, according to WCMH Columbus. Consumer and government data show thousands of reports and significant dollar losses each year, particularly from imposter and cyber scams.
A 2026 national analysis of imposter scams, people pretending to be government, businesses, or relatives, ranks Ohio among the top 10 states hit hardest by these schemes, according to WCMH.
Some scams now use AI voice cloning and highly realistic emails or text messages, according to the Ohio Secretary of State’s office, making them harder for residents to spot, officials warn.
In the first half of 2025 alone, Ohioans filed more than 12,000 imposter‑scam reports involving government or business impersonators, according to the Ohio Department of Commerce. Gov. Mike DeWine issued a proclamation recognizing April as Fraud Prevention Month in Ohio.
The fraudulent message directs recipients to a website, which the agency says is connected to overseas entities. The office also warns that scanning a scammer‑generated QR code can expose your phone or device to malware or other security threats.
“Scammers often mimic government documents to gain trust,” Yost said, noting that while some details may appear convincing, others are incorrect or inconsistent with legitimate court communications.
Be mindful of parking or toll claims that don’t align with where you live. For example, there are no toll roads in Columbus, though some scams targeted at Franklin County residents ask for unpaid tolls, The Columbus Dispatch reports.
The Ohio Attorney General’s Office provided tips to prevent falling for these scams:
If you receive a scam notice, file a complaint with the Ohio Attorney General’s Consumer Protection Section at www.OhioProtects.org or by calling 800‑282‑0515.
The Federal Trade Commission says that there are multiple ways to report unwanted text messages:

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