JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – If you’ve received a text claiming you owe money for an unpaid toll, experts warn it could be a scam.
Fraudsters are sending out phishing messages designed to trick drivers into clicking malicious links and sharing personal information.
Many drivers have reported receiving suspicious messages that appear to be from toll services like SunPass or E-ZPass.
Rhonda Caseletto, a Jacksonville resident, nearly fell victim to the scam.
“I clicked on the link and it looks a lot like the SunPass web page, but it’s a little different,” Caseletto said. “What triggered me was I have auto-pay. So, I went into my app, and I was able to tell it was a little different, and I had zero due.”
News4JAX has received multiple reports of these scam texts, many of which contain red flags such as messages from bogus email addresses, misspellings, and references to toll services from other states—such as FasTrak, which operates in California.
Tom Stephens, CEO of the Better Business Bureau of Northeast Florida, emphasizes that official toll services do not send payment demands via text.
“If you owe money to the toll companies, to the toll services, they’ll send you a bill in the mail. They will never text you,” Stephens said.
Stephens warns that clicking the link in a fraudulent text could lead to malware being installed on your device.
“If you click the link, there’s a good chance you’ll download malware onto your phone or computer,” Stephens said. “That malware can steal your identity or pressure you into sending money.”
According to Stephens, scammers continue to use text message phishing schemes because they are cost-effective and highly successful.
“If you got a million texts going out in an hour and 1% click on it, that’s 10,000 people who’ve fallen for the scam,” Stephens pointed out.
For those who have clicked on the link or sent money in response to a fake toll notice, Stephens recommends taking immediate action:
- Change passwords on all financial accounts.
- Monitor checking and credit card statements for unauthorized transactions.
- Place a credit freeze with all three major credit reporting agencies to prevent identity theft.
Stephens urges drivers to delete any suspicious text messages and avoid clicking on unknown links.
“Just don’t click the link and ignore it, delete it and be done with it, because it’s fake—199% fake," Stephens said.
Legitimate messages from SunPass will always come from customerservice@sunpass.com or noreply@sunpass.com, or will be texted from 786727.
More information on SunPass security alerts can be found here.
If you receive one of these text scams, you can report it to the FBI Internet Crime Complaint Center or FDLE’s Report a Cybercrime webpage.