You get a text saying you owe a toll balance. There is a link, and a warning that a late fee is coming if you do not pay. It looks official. It is a scam. The FBI has warned about these texts, and TxDOT has been warning Texas drivers about fake TxTag messages since 2024.

How the scam works

This kind of attack is called smishing: a fake text message that tries to get you to click. The link leads to a website made to look like a toll service, such as TxTag or the Central Texas Mobility Authority. The goal is to steal your card number or personal information, or to get malware onto your phone.

Signs a toll text is fake

• You were not expecting it, and it comes with a link.
• It pushes you to act fast and threatens a late fee.
• It says you owe a balance, and you may not even use toll roads.
• It claims to be from TxTag about a final payment reminder or a past-due balance. TxTag says it does not send texts about those.
• It claims to be from the Central Texas Mobility Authority and lists a balance. The Mobility Authority says its texts do not list balances or ask for personal information.

TxTag says its real texts come from short code 22498, and only go to customers who opted in, at the phone number on their account.

What to do

• Do not click the link, and do not reply.
• Do not call any phone number in the text.
• If you think you might owe a toll, check your account yourself. Type the toll agency’s website into your browser, or use the number printed on your account paperwork.
• Delete the text.

Report it

• The Federal Trade Commission: reportfraud.ftc.gov. TxDOT asks people to use the organization code TXDOT.
• Your phone carrier: forward the text to 7726 (SPAM). The FTC says this helps carriers block similar texts.
• The FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center: ic3.gov. Include the phone number and website from the text.

If you already clicked or paid

• Call your bank or card company, and dispute any charge you do not recognize.
• Keep watching your accounts for unfamiliar activity.
• If you typed a password anywhere, change it on the real site, and on any other site where you use the same one.

Tell someone else

These texts work best on people who are busy or who do not see many scams. Send this page to a parent, a grandparent or a coworker. A thirty-second warning can save them a bad week.