A popular text message scam continues to rear its ugly head on phones across the U.S., demanding money from consumers for fake unpaid tolls.

These texts generally try to impersonate the toll service in your state - for example, if you live in California, the text will likely say it's from FastTrak. If you live in New York, or one of the 19 other states that use EZ Pass, it will probably claim to be from them. Some of the texts will include links to a dupe website with a URL and a webpage designed to look like the real thing.

Scammers aren't perfect, though - if you get a text claiming to be from the toll service in a state you haven't been to recently or ever, that's a safe sign it's likely a fake, as are texts with misspellings or links that don't match the name of the legitimate toll service website.

Here's what to know about the scam and how to check if you have unpaid tolls.

What the unpaid toll scam texts look like

The scam texts can be more or less specific, like one out of Florida reading, "Please pay your toll in Florida by January 21, 2025. In order to avoid excessive late fees and potential legal action on statements, please pay your tolls in time. Thank you for your cooperation and wish you a pleasant holiday. https://sunpass.com-8If5.sbs/us/"

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Some may even ask you to copy and paste a link into your browser instead of clicking through it directly. An example of one such text reads as follows: "Pay your FastTrak Lane tolls by February 13, 2025. To avoid a fine and keep your license, you can pay at https://ezdrivema.com-xlk.vip/i/. (Please reply Y, then exit the text message and open it again to activate the link, or copy the link into your Safari browser and open it)."

USA TODAY staff in Washington D.C., Miami., New York City, Indianapolis and New Jersey confirmed receiving at least one version of the same text messages − or variations of them − in the last two weeks.

FBI, FTC aware of "coast to coast" toll scams

Last April, the FBI reported receiving more than 2,000 complaints reporting smishing scams representing toll road collection services in three states. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) put out a fresh notice in January, saying scammers are again pretending to be toll agencies from "coast to coast."

"Whether you’ve driven through a toll recently or not, you might’ve gotten a text saying you owe money for unpaid tolls. It’s probably a scam," said the FTC advisory. "Not only is the scammer trying to steal your money, but if you click the link, they could get your personal info."

What is 'smishing'?

"Smishing" is a social engineering attack that uses fake text messages to trick people into downloading malware, sharing sensitive information or sending money to hackers, according to IBM. The term is a combination of "SMS" or "short message service" and "phishing," an umbrella term for social engineering attacks.

What to do if you receive a toll road scam text

If you receive a toll agency text message demanding money, the FBI and FTC suggest to do the following:

• Do not click the link in the text and instead visit the legitimate toll service website directly to check your account balance. You can also contact the toll service's legitimate customer service phone number.
• Delete any smishing texts and use your phone's "report junk" feature before doing so.
• If you did click the link or provide any information, the FBI recommends making efforts to secure your personal information and financial accounts. This includes tracking and disputing any unfamiliar charges.
• File a complaint with the FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center including the phone number where the text originated and the website listed in the text.