Scam Ohio toll texts continue to perplex drivers

Unaware of a scam purporting to collect unpaid Ohio tolls, Lori McCarthy of Trenton, Ohio, responded to a text Sunday that said her vehicle had an outstanding toll charge and to avoid paying an excessive late fee of $69.99, she should settle her balance of $6.99.

“I just followed the link, put in my information, and when I did that, the screen just went blank,” she said Monday. “So I did it again and it went blank again.”

This prompted her to research turnpike toll information, and she first learned there was an ongoing scam.

The Ohio Turnpike and Infrastructure Commission is reminding toll customers to be aware of a resurgence in fraudulent texts from scammers requesting payment for unpaid tolls through fake websites.

Having put her credit card information on the link, Ms. McCarthy quickly alerted her financial institution to have her bank card canceled.

“I wish I would have looked it up before I put all my information in,” she said.

While news of the scam surfaced nearly a month ago, the commission and the media alike are getting flooded with inquires about these texts. And the scammers are targeting not only Ohioans, but drivers from across the country.

Samantha Gonzales moved from Cincinnati to Texas three years ago, so when she received a text message requesting money for an outstanding Ohio toll charge her antennae went up.

“I was confused, and was like ‘When did this happen, 10 years ago when we went somewhere near Chicago?’” she said.

Ms.Gonzales also clicked the link and followed the prompts but stopped short of entering her banking information when she noticed that the site lacked pertinent information like the date the supposed incident occurred. She also took to Google for more information before just paying it.

“I couldn't find information, except for somebody saying something about a scam,” she said.

The Ohio Turnpike reminds drivers it does not request payments by text.

For questions about the Ohio Turnpike’s E-ZPass notifications, got to ezpassoh.com or call customer service at 440-971-2222.