Look Out, Illinois Tollway Text Scam is Back and Worse Than Ever

Just when you think a text scam has been beaten, it returns and is worse than ever. That's the story for the infamous Illinois Tollway text scam which is now hitting phones all over the state - again.

I saw this alert just shared on the Illinois sub-Reddit today. If I remember correctly, the last time this text scam was attempted in Illinois, it was only a simple message. Now, the scammers are using the official Illinois Tollway logo and have made it to look more like the website form many are used to seeing.

Tollway Scam Warning!
byu/MineBloxKy inillinois

If you're not familiar, the Illinois Tollway DOES have a Pay by Plate program, but you will never see a text message like the one above. It's a service you have to sign up for directly through the Illinois Tollway website.

As a rule of thumb, you should never tap a link in a text message even if it comes from someone you know. If I see a message that pretends to be from the post office or another delivery service or even my bank, I will contact them directly through different methods to verify if they really sent me a text. Most reputable companies know that scammers use this method and avoid contacting customers this way.

If you think you might have a legitimate toll that's owed to the Illinois Tollway, just go directly to their website yourself and avoid text links.