{"id":28517,"date":"2025-06-24T12:40:13","date_gmt":"2025-06-24T20:40:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.spokeo.com\/compass\/?p=28517"},"modified":"2025-06-24T12:40:17","modified_gmt":"2025-06-24T20:40:17","slug":"e-zpass-scam","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.spokeo.com\/compass\/e-zpass-scam\/","title":{"rendered":"Keep Getting Texts About Unpaid Tolls? Here’s What to Know About the New E-ZPass Scam"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

According to Robokiller<\/a>, Americans received 19.2 billion spam and scam texts in April of 2025 alone \u2013 that comes out to about 63 spam texts for every person. There\u2019s only one group of people who don\u2019t think that\u2019s too much, and they\u2019re called scammers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Enter their latest racket, the E-ZPass scam, a toll scam that first rose to popularity in the spring of \u201825. Because E-ZPass is so widely used, it\u2019s an effective gift, but stick around, and we\u2019ll tell you how to pass through without paying the scam toll. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

What Is E-ZPass? <\/h2>\n\n\n\n

E-ZPass<\/a> is an automatic electronic toll system that\u2019s widely used through the Southern, Eastern, and Northern United States. Rather than depositing money, swiping a debit card, or scanning a ticket, E-ZPass members \u2013 who are given a small transponder to stick on their windshield after signing up via a local agency or partner \u2013 can proceed through designated toll lanes without having to stop, and their E-ZPass account will be charged automatically. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Smishing and the E-ZPass Scam<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

So that\u2019s E-ZPass, but what about the E-ZPass scam?\u00a0 It\u2019s a smishing scam<\/a>, which is, surprisingly, not a word we just made up. First, there\u2019s phishing<\/a>, or scams that involve bad actors posing as other people, organizations, or companies \u201cfishing\u201d for your private information, which they can use to commit financial fraud. Phishing happens via emails, phone calls, DMs, and more, but when it happens via text messages \u2013 which were popularized by the SMS platform (emphasis on the \u201cS\u201d here) \u2013 it\u2019s called smishing. And that\u2019s exactly how E-ZPass toll scams work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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How E-ZPass Toll Scams Work<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Toll scams are nothing new, but the E-ZPass scam makes it more effective by sticking official-looking branding on it. In this scam, you\u2019ll get a text that claims to be from E-ZPass, usually claiming (often in panic-inducing language) that you have unpaid tolls that you must pay immediately, or that your account has expired and you must pay a renewal fee. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In order to pay this impostor E-ZPass, you\u2019ll be prompted to click a link. At that link, you\u2019ll either be prompted to make a payment (to a scammer who is definitely not the real E-ZPass, who\u2019ll now conveniently have access to your payment info), or to enter private information, which will most likely be used to extract funds from you fraudulently. In most cases, the amount demanded is relatively small, a deliberate tactic that encourages victims to go ahead and pay and get it over with.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Legit vs. Scam: How to Stay Safe<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Here\u2019s the easiest way to tell the difference between legit E-ZPass communication and a scam: E-ZPass doesn\u2019t text you for payment<\/a>. Likewise, if you know you\u2019re not an E-ZPass customer in the first place, that\u2019s your sign to block, report, and delete.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Otherwise, here\u2019s how to navigate the scammer freeway with a little extra peace of mind. Consider these tips<\/a> your easy pass<\/em> to a scam-free future (sorry, couldn\u2019t resist).\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n