With text scams seeking unpaid tolls being noted across the U.S., two more states are warning residents about the potential for fraudulent activity.
On Monday, May 12, the Kansas Department of Transportation issued a warning to the public regarding a text scam seeking payment for unpaid tolls. The department not only does not request or collect payments via text message but also is not the agency in charge of collecting tolls in the state. That responsibility belongs to the Kansas Turnpike Authority.
“KDOT does not collect tolls for any roadway and does not request or collect payment via text message,” the department said in a statement.
As is the case with most states, scammers are using the texts – which typically express urgency and threaten punishment if the toll goes unpaid – to harvest personal and financial information for fraudulent purposes.
Text scams have also been noted in New Mexico, with the state DOT issuing a warning this week about a “widespread” scam targeting residents. According to the agency, the warning comes after a “surge in calls from concerned citizens” who received the fraudulent texts – despite the state having no toll roads.
“These scammers create a false sense of urgency by threatening license suspension or legal action to panic people into making payments,” Ricky Serna, cabinet secretary with the New Mexico DOT, said in a statement. “Remember, since New Mexico has no toll roads, any message claiming you owe toll fees in our state is 100% fraudulent.”
A lack of toll roads hasn’t deterred scammers. There have also been toll scams in Missouri and Oregon – neither of which have toll roads.
“There is not even a toll program,” Chris Crabb, a spokesperson with the Oregon DOT, told Land Line. “These are 100% fake messages and phishing scams.”
The fraudulent correspondence isn’t solely coming through text. Earlier this week, scam emails from individuals posing as the Indiana DOT were sent to users seeking payment for unpaid tolls.
According to the Indiana Office of Technology, the emails were part of a hack perpetrated on a company with which the state had previously contracted.
“The State of Indiana contract with this company ended on Dec. 31, 2024, but they did not remove the state’s account,” the agency said. “A contractor’s account was hacked and used to send those messages.”
The agency said it was “not aware of any current state systems being compromised.
Suspiciously, the emails were requesting payment for unpaid TxTag balances – the electronic toll collection system operated by the Texas DOT. While TxTag is accepted in other states – including Colorado, Florida, Kansas and Oklahoma – it is not accepted in Indiana.
Anyone who has received scam texts or emails is encouraged to report the fraudulent activity to the Federal Trade Commission as well as the Internet Crime Complaint Center. LL
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