Have you recently received a text message saying you have an unpaid toll in Colorado that needs to be paid immediately to avoid a fine?
If so, it’s a scam — one that’s becoming increasingly prevalent across the country.
In a Jan. 29 Facebook post, the Colorado Department of Transportation warned motorists that Colorado does not collect Express Lanes tolls or fines by text.
“All Colorado Express Lane and ExpressToll fees will be billed and paid directly through your ExpressToll account and never over a text message,” CDOT officials said in the post.
In an alert posted to the E-470 website, the tolling authority said people who receive a text message asking for payment or containing a suspicious link should not click any links or respond to the message; instead, they should delete the message immediately.
The Pueblo Police Department also acknowledged the scams in a March 13 Facebook post, saying messages claiming to be from E-Z Pass are “NOT legit.”
“Stay vigilant and trust your gut: if something seems suspicious about a text or call, trust your instincts – don’t share personal information or click any links!” police officials said in the post.
The fraudulent toll collection texts are part of a type of scam called smishing, a combination of “SMS,” meaning “short message service,” and “phishing,” which generally pertains to attacks on the internet, email, or websites.
Smishing is defined by the FBI as a social engineering attack that uses fake text messages to trick people into downloading malware, sharing sensitive information, or sending money to cybercriminals.
In an April 2024 public service announcement, the FBI said citizens who receive texts seeking to collect unpaid tolls should complete the following steps:
Chieftain Editor Zach Hillstrom can be reached at zhillstrom@gannett.com or on X, at @ZachHillstrom. Support local news; subscribe to the Pueblo Chieftain at subscribe.chieftain.com.

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