RICHMOND — Have you received a text on your phone or smart device recently that makes threats if you don’t pay an overdue toll fine within 12 hours? Or a similar text that claims you’re facing penalties or legal action unless you fork over a supposed balance for unpaid tolls? And of course, there’s always a link provided in the texts.
If you didn’t know already, it’s a scam, so do not click the link or copy and paste it.
The Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles sent out a press release this week warning about the bogus texts.
“In the text message, the scammers urgently tell you to pay a toll to avoid late fees and include a link in the message,” the DMV said. “Clicking that link could result in your personal information being stolen, making you a victim of this scam.”
Gerald Lackey, commissioner of the DMV, said the state “will never” send text messages concerning toll bills.
At the Virginia Department of Transportation, the message is essentially the same. At the top of its webpage for E-ZPass, the agency notes it is currently receiving a high volume of calls “due to fraudulent TXT/SMS message inquiries.”
The toll road scam is known as a “smishing scam.” According to the Federal Communications Commission, smishing is the word you get when you combine SMS (short message service) and phishing.
“A typical smishing scam message may seem like it’s from a bank – maybe your bank – and include a link or phone number to bait you into clicking or calling. If you do, you stand a good chance of being hooked,” the FCC said.
E-ZPass said if the text isn’t from (844) 548-0707 or (844) 718-2368, the message “should not be responded to” and did not come from the agency or the Virginia Toll Payment Processing Center.
“Recipients of the TXT/SMS messages include non-E-ZPass patrons. The message(s) you have received are not the result of an E-ZPass Virginia data breach and your E-ZPass account information is safe,” read a website message.
Lt. Leslie Snyder, a spokesperson for the Augusta County Sheriff’s Office, said she recently spoke with a local resident about the toll roads text scam. Snyder said she advised the person to delete the text and report it as spam. Blocking the number is also an option.
The Federal Trade Commission offers the following tips to avoid falling for a text scam:
For more information about Virginia’s toll facilities, access to your E-ZPass account, or concerns regarding a text message about toll payment, visit https://www.tollroadsinvirginia.com/.

source