Did you receive an Illinois Tollway text about an unpaid bill from a mysterious area code? It's a scam, officials say (2024)

Attention Illinois drivers: Did you receive a text from a "438" area code with a message about an "Illinois Tollway Services" unpaid invoice this week? Delete that text, tollway officials warned -- it's a scam.

Illinois tollway officials first warned of the phishing scam in the spring of 2024, with some reporting on social mediathat they had received text messages from an out of state number, claiming they had unpaid tolls owed to the agency.

The Illinois Tollway later confirmed that the texts targeting I-PASS customers were phishing-related. Another round of the phishing texts popped up around Fourth of July weekend, and it appears a new batch of texts went out Wednesday.

NBC 5 traffic reporter Kye Martin was among those who received one early Wednesday. Martin reported the text was from a 438 area code, which appeared to be an area code in Montreal, Quebec, Canada.

"Illinois Tollway Services, out records indicate that your vehicle has an unpaid toll invoice," the message read in Martin's case. The message typically then urges drivers to click a url to "settle your balance."

Previous versions of the scam used the words and spelling "Illinois Toll way," with a url containing the words Illinois Tollway Services. Wednesday's text used the words "Illinois Tollway Services" with a slightly different url containing the words Illinois Tollway Invoice.

As of Wednesday morning, an alert had been posted to the official Illinois Tollway website, warning customers of the newest text scam.

"The Illinois Tollway is advising I-PASS customers to disregard phishing texts being sent to their phones from “Illinois Tollway Services” that detail a specific outstanding toll amount," the message said. The message went on to advise I-PASS customers to "delete any text that you receive stating an outstanding toll amount."

The agency also reminded users of the correct Illinois Tollway website to pay tolls online, and asked customers who receive a suspicious text to report it to the FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center.

Here's more information on what to do if you receive a text, and what to look for:

WHAT TO DO

• When you recognize a phishing message, do not click on any links or attachments.
• Delete the email message from your Inbox and then empty it from the deleted items folder to avoid accidentally accessing the websites to which it points.
• Forward suspicious emails that appear to be from the Illinois Tollway toinfo@getipass.com.

WHAT TO LOOK FOR

1. Asks for personal information: Many phishing emails request personal information such as credit card or account information, passwords, etc. Legitimate emails will never ask you to perform security-related changes to your account or send emails to collect user names, passwords, email addresses or other personal information through email.
2. Official-looking sender's email address: The "From" line may include an email address that appears legitimate.
3. False claims: Many phishing emails make false claims about the status of your account and ask you to update or validate your account by clicking on an embedded link in the email. Some may also include a false sense of urgency and state that your account may be in jeopardy if it is not updated immediately.
4. Fake links: Many phishing emails include links that look valid but that send you to a spoof site. Never click on these links as the URL (web page address) shown may appear to be legitimate but may actually display a different URL when you hover over the link with your mouse.
5. Attachments: Never click on attachments as they may cause you to download spyware or a virus.
6. Spelling and poor grammar: Many phishing emails contain typos and poor grammar in the content.
7. Scam artists use graphics in email that appear to be connected to legitimate websites but actually take you to phony scam sites or legitimate-looking pop-up windows.