NoScams
FasTrak unpaid toll text scam
Updated October 23, 2026
The text people are getting
[…] Your toll account balance is outstanding. If you fail to pay by March 24, 2025, you will face penalties or legal action. […]
As reported by CBS News Bay Area (FasTrak scam warning), April 2025.
Pay your FastTrack Lane tolls by January 26, 2025. To avoid a fine and keep your license, you can pay at [link] (Please […]
As reported by WECT, quoting the Columbus County (NC) Sheriff's Office, January 2025.
How to tell it's a scam
- Threats of "legal action" or losing your license. Real unpaid-toll notices come by mail or show up in your account. A text threatening your license over a few dollars is a pressure tactic.
- A deadline a day or two away. The dates in these texts are always close, to keep you from checking.
- "FastTrack Lane." Real FasTrak is spelled F-a-s-T-r-a-k. The misspelled version has been sent to people in North Carolina and Utah, which shows how widely the same text gets blasted out.
- A link that isn't your FasTrak agency's own website. If a text wants you to pay through a link, close it and check your account yourself.
What FasTrak actually does
FasTrak is California's toll system, run by several regional agencies. California's attorney general says FasTrak does not request payment by text with a link to a website, and that The Toll Roads, which runs Orange County's toll roads, doesn't text people who don't have an account. If you owe a toll, you'll find it by signing in to your account on the official site or app, or in a notice mailed to the address on file.
If you tapped the link or paid
- Only opened the page? Close it and don't enter anything.
- Entered card details? Call your bank or card company using the number on your card. Ask them to block the card and dispute the charge.
- Entered your driver's license number? See IdentityTheft.gov for steps.
More detail: what to do if you clicked a scam link.
Report it
- Forward the text to 7726 (SPAM), then delete it.
- File a complaint with the FBI at ic3.gov, including the number it came from and the website it linked to.
- Report it to the FTC at ReportFraud.ftc.gov.
Questions
Does FasTrak text you about unpaid tolls?
Not with a payment link. California's attorney general says FasTrak doesn't request payment by text with a link to a website, and The Toll Roads in Orange County doesn't text people who don't have an account.
How do I check my FasTrak balance?
Sign in on your FasTrak agency's official website or app by typing the address yourself, or call the number on your statement.
What is "FastTrack Lane"?
It's a misspelling scammers use to sound like FasTrak. Versions of it have been reported in North Carolina and Utah, far from California's FasTrak roads.