Valley residents have been getting a bunch of scam texts about unpaid tolls, and the problem has become so annoying that ADOT sent out a press release Tuesday warning residents about the scam. The type of scam is dubbed “smishing” by the FBI, and it occurs when cybercriminals try to trick people into sending money through a “social engineering attack,” ADOT wrote in an email.
The scam text reads, in part, “Your vehicle has an unpaid toll due today. To avoid excessive late fees and suspension of your vehicle, please pay the due amount.”
The dead giveaway? Arizona doesn’t have toll roads.
No toll roads in Arizona, a-hole. pic.twitter.com/04FZhX5nSR
— Robbie Sherwood (@RobbieSherwood) March 10, 2025
“No, the Arizona Department of Transportation isn’t texting you about overdue tolls,” the department’s release read. ADOT listed a few telltale signs that the texts aren’t legit:
- The lack of toll roads
- The phone number being from another country
- The use of “AZDOT” rather than “ADOT”
- Using the phrase “Now Payment”
ADOT recommends anyone who received such a text delete it or report it. iPhone users can hit “Report Junk.” Residents can also report these scams by filing a complaint with the federal Internet Complaint Center. Include the phone number that sent the text and the website included in any messages.
You can put away that nonexistent EZ-Pass. Nobody is charging you for it. And if you’ve been tossing coins into a receptacle every time you hit the highway, look around: You’re not Arizona anymore.
