{"id":4421,"date":"2025-07-11T07:42:57","date_gmt":"2025-07-11T14:42:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.stickerquicker.com\/blog\/?p=4421"},"modified":"2026-02-23T11:23:56","modified_gmt":"2026-02-23T19:23:56","slug":"fake-toll-payment-text-california","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.stickerquicker.com\/blog\/fake-toll-payment-text-california\/california-news\/","title":{"rendered":"Scam Alert: Fake Toll Payment Texts Are Targeting Californians: Here\u2019s What to Watch For"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If you\u2019ve received a random text message claiming you owe a toll, you\u2019re not alone. A scam is circulating across California where fraudulent messages impersonate official agencies like FasTrak, the DMV, or EZ-Pay, urging people to pay supposed unpaid tolls through suspicious links.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">These messages often include language like:<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cYou have an unpaid toll. Pay now to avoid penalties.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">They may even reference real toll roads like the <\/span><b>Bay Bridge<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, <\/span><b>San Mateo-Hayward Bridge<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, <strong>133, 241, 261, 73<\/strong> <\/span><b>Dumbarton Bridge<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, <\/span><b>I-580 Express Lanes<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, or <\/span><b>I-680 Express Lanes<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, or include partial vehicle information to make the message seem more legitimate.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">What You Need to Know:<\/span><\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The California DMV and official toll agencies like FasTrak and The Toll Roads do not send unsolicited text messages with payment links.<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><br \/>\n<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Scam texts often include shortened URLs, urgent warnings, or unfamiliar web domains.<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><br \/>\n<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Even if the message includes your name or vehicle info, always verify the source before clicking.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Examples of Scam Messages to Watch Out For:<\/span><\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cDMV: Your registration is on hold due to toll violations.\u201d<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><br \/>\n<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cClick here to confirm your title transfer.\u201d<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><br \/>\n<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cPay your unpaid toll now to avoid a fine.\u201d<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If anything feels off or includes a random link: don\u2019t click, don\u2019t reply, just delete.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">To report suspected scam messages, visit<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/reportfraud.ftc.gov\/\"> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">reportfraud.ftc.gov<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> or forward the message to SPAM (7726) from your phone.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h3><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Need to Check Your Toll or Registration Status?<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If you&#8217;re ever unsure about the status of your registration or toll balance, it\u2019s best to use trusted sources. In addition to official DMV and toll agency websites, you can also use a DMV-authorized partner like <a href=\"https:\/\/stickerquicker.com\/\">StickerQuicker.com<\/a> to:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">View and renew your registration<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Replace lost stickers or plates<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Handle title transfers and related services<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It\u2019s a simple and secure way to manage your vehicle paperwork without the guesswork.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Stay alert, and always double-check the source before taking action on any text or email regarding vehicle payments.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>If you\u2019ve received a random text message claiming you owe a toll, you\u2019re not alone. A scam is circulating across California where fraudulent messages impersonate official agencies like FasTrak, the DMV, or EZ-Pay, urging people to pay supposed unpaid tolls through suspicious links. These messages often include language like: \u201cYou have an unpaid toll. Pay<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":4423,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[60],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-4421","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-california-news"},"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.stickerquicker.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Scam-Alert-Fake-Toll-Payment-Texts-Are-Targeting-Californians-Medium.jpeg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.stickerquicker.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4421","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.stickerquicker.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.stickerquicker.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.stickerquicker.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.stickerquicker.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4421"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.stickerquicker.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4421\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4452,"href":"https:\/\/www.stickerquicker.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4421\/revisions\/4452"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.stickerquicker.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/4423"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.stickerquicker.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4421"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.stickerquicker.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4421"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.stickerquicker.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4421"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}