How to tell if a toll text is real

Updated October 23, 2026

Toll agencies that send texts only send them to customers who signed up, usually from short codes they publish, with links only to their own websites, and several say they never ask for payment by text. An unexpected text about an unpaid toll with a payment link is almost certainly a scam. To be sure, don't use the link: type your toll agency's website address yourself and sign in, or call the number on your statement.

Check these four things

Did you sign up for texts? Agencies that text at all send alerts to their own customers who opted in. If you never gave your toll agency your number, the text isn't from them.
Who sent it? Agencies that text usually use a short code they publish, like SunPass's 786727. A text from a foreign number or an email address isn't from a toll agency, and a random 10-digit number is a red flag. The FBI noted that in this scam the "phone numbers appear to change between states."
Where does the link go? Real texts link only to the agency's own website. The FBI says the scam link "is created to impersonate the state's toll service name," so the agency's name can appear inside an address that isn't the agency's.
Does it ask you to pay? SunPass and NC Quick Pass say they don't ask for payment by text at all, and California's attorney general says FasTrak doesn't request payment by text with a link to a website.

If the sender or the link isn't the agency's own, it's a scam. Even when everything checks out, it's safest to sign in by typing the address yourself instead of tapping.

What real toll texts look like

Agency	Real texts	What they never do
SunPass (Florida)	Only from 786727	Ask for a payment or any action on your account by text
NC Quick Pass (North Carolina)	Only from 696277, linking only to ncquickpass.com	Ask for payment or threaten legal action
FasTrak (California)	The Toll Roads texts only people who have an account	Request payment by text with a link to a website
E-ZPass New York	Bill and statement texts, only if you opted in to mobile alerts	Link anywhere but E-ZPassNY.com

Other agencies have their own rules, so when in doubt, check your account directly.

How to check if you really owe a toll

Type the agency's website address yourself, or open its official app, and sign in. The FBI's advice: "Check your account using the toll service's legitimate website."
Or call the customer service number on your statement or the agency's website, not a number from the text.
Don't reply. The FTC says: "Don't click on any links in, or respond to, unexpected texts."

The texts going around

See the exact wording, word for word:

Report it

Forward the text to 7726 (SPAM) so your carrier can block the sender. How to report spam texts on iPhone.
Report it to the FBI at ic3.gov, including the number that texted you and the website it pointed to.

Questions

Do toll agencies send text messages at all?

Some do, to customers who signed up for alerts. SunPass texts come only from 786727 and NC Quick Pass texts only from 696277, and both say they don't ask for payment by text. E-ZPass New York sends bill and statement texts only to customers who opted in, with links only to E-ZPassNY.com.

I really did drive on a toll road. Could the text be real?

A recent trip makes the scam more believable, not more real. The same texts go out to huge lists of numbers. If you owe a toll, it will show up when you sign in on the agency's own website or app.

Can I just reply to ask if it's real?

No. Replying tells scammers your number works, and some of these texts ask you to reply so a blocked link turns on. See what happens if you reply to a scam text.

I already paid through the link. What now?

Call your bank or card company now, using the number on your card, and ask them to block the card and dispute the charge. Then follow what to do if you clicked a scam link.

Sources

Facts checked October 23, 2026.