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MICHIGAN

Scammers are claiming you owe E-Z Pass tolls. What to know in Michigan

Portrait of Jalen Williams Jalen Williams
Detroit Free Press
  • Michigan does not have toll roads, but scammers are sending texts en masse hoping some people will fall for it.
  • The FTC advises people to not click on links in or respond to unexpected texts, verify the legitimacy of the text, and report and delete unwanted messages.

While residents in states with toll roads are seeing far more scam texts than Michiganders, texts claiming people owe money for toll roads or other driving fees are still a nuisance.

The newest scam texts affecting Midwest states impersonate toll services and demand users pay funds. The scammers hope people simply assume they owe money to a legitimate agency or business and pay without thinking, which also could open them up to further fraud.

An example of the scam text people may receive reads: "Pay your FastTrak Lane tolls by February 13, 2025. To avoid a fine and keep your license, you can pay at https://ezdrivema.com-xlk.vip/i/. (Please reply Y, then exit the text message and open it again to activate the link, or copy the link into your Safari browser and open it)."

Almost all of these texts include a link but many of them are not directly clickable, USA TODAY said. Instead, they encourage you to copy and paste a link into your browser. These links are often made to look similar to real toll websites, such as the fake address "e-zpass.com-pay" which is easy to mistake for the real website, which has URL addresses, like "https://www.e-zpassny.com."

Although Michigan doesn't have toll roads, a popular tactic appears to simply send texts out en masse and hope something sticks, meaning you may get a text claiming to be from a toll company in a state you've never visited, USA TODAY reported.

Here's what to know about the scam in Michigan:

Michigan doesn't have toll roads

Michigan does not have any toll roads, according to the Michigan Department of Transportation, but we almost did.

In 1951, the Michigan Turnpike Authority was established to build turnpikes between Detroit, Chicago and Toledo-Bay City, however federal funding for the Interstate Highway System covered most of the costs of freeway construction, ending Michigan's interest in toll roads.

Tolls are collected at certain bridges and tunnels across the state, including at the Sault Ste. Marie International Bridge, Mackinac Bridge, Grosse Ile Toll Bridge, Blue Water Bridge, Ambassador Bridge and the Detroit–Windsor Tunnel.

Numerous cities also have parking drivers can pay for via apps.

How to avoid text scams

If you receive a text, the U.S. Federal Trade Commission tells consumers:

  • Don't click on any links in,or respond to, unexpected texts. Scammers want you to react quickly, but it’s best to stop and check it out.
  • Check to see whether the text is legit. Reach out to the state’s tolling agency using a phone number or website you know is real — not the info from the text.
  • Report and delete unwanted text messages. Use your phone’s “report junk” option to report unwanted texts to your messaging app or forward them to 7726 (SPAM). Once you’ve checked it out and reported it, delete the text.

Suspect a scam? Don't click these links

While the texts vary in style and copy, they tend to share some popular link styles, such as shortened Bitly links that prevent the receiver from seeing the full URL text, or links made to look similar to the real thing, such as having "E-Z pass" in the URL text.

McAfee, one of the most well-known anti-scam and anti-virus software companies nationwide, compiled a list of some of the most popular link styles spotted in these texts:

  • paytollbysuab[dot]top/pay  
  • thetollroads-paytollhmm[dot]world  
  • thetollroads-paytollxtd[dot]world/us  
  • thetollroads-paytollwpc[dot]world/us  
  • thetollroads-paytollolno[dot]xin/us  
  • thetollroads-paytollktc[dot]world/us  
  • thetollroads-paytoll[dot]world/us  
  • paytollmit[dot]vip  
  • paytollaqs[dot]vip  
  • paytollcqb[dot]top/ezdrivema  

This list is not exhaustive, but is rather a snapshot of some common URL types and formats found in these messages.

Cities where people see the most toll road scams 

According to McAfee Labs research, the following U.S. cities are experiencing the most of these scam texts: 

  1. Dallas  
  2. Atlanta  
  3. Los Angeles  
  4. Chicago  
  5. Orlando, Florida  
  6. Miami  
  7. San Antonio  
  8. Las Vegas  
  9. Houston  
  10. Denver 
  11. San Diego  
  12. Phoenix  
  13. Seattle  
  14. Indianapolis 
  15. Boardman, Ohio

Jalen Williams is a trending reporter at the Detroit Free Press. Contact him at jawilliams1@freepress.com.