Security & Fraud | PA Turnpike (2024)

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What should you do if you think you are the victim of a scam concerning your PA Turnpike toll accounts?

• Check your personal E-ZPass account online to verify account balances and other personal information.
• Check the PA Toll Pay app if you have this feature on your smartphone. This app is available to download from the Apple App Store or Google Play store.
• Call our E-ZPass and Toll By Plate Customer Service Center at 877-736-6727. We have live agents ready to assist you with your E-ZPass questions and anything relating to your E-ZPass account. Live agents are available Monday through Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.
• Don’t click on links in text messages, emails, or other communications from an unsolicited party claiming to be the PA Turnpike Commission or another tolling agency. Even if you think it’s legitimate, it is still a best practice to not click on any links. Contact the listed company at a website or phone number you know is real.
• If you clicked any link or provided your information, take efforts to secure your personal information and financial accounts. Dispute any unfamiliar charges.
• If you believe you are receiving fraudulent communications, immediately file a complaint at www.ic3.gov. This is the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s (FBI) Internet Crime Complaint Center. This site is dedicated to sharing information on internet crimes across law enforcement agencies.
• Resist the pressure to act immediately. Honest businesses will give you time to make decisions when it comes to financial matters. Anyone who pressures you to pay or give them your personal information immediately is most likely a scammer.

How the PA Turnpike Commission communicates with customers that have overdue toll bills.

• The PTC does not text our E-ZPass or Toll By Plate customers. However, our debt collection agency, Harris and Harris, will text customers that have a significant overdue balance. Harris and Harris will include their name, company information, and legitimate details relating to your account in their text messages.

Below is a sample of how a text message from Harris & Harris would appear:

• Neither the PA Turnpike, nor any of its partners, will ask customers to send money via a link or any other payment process, like Zelle or Venmo.
• The PTC begins communications via mail with E-ZPass and Toll By Plate customers that have an outstanding balance.
  • E-ZPass accounts that go into insufficient status - the account balance is zero dollars or less - receive the following notifications:
    • A pre-final demand notice is sent after 30 days when customers fail to respond to notices regarding replenishment failures and/or low balance.
    • A final demand notice is sent after a second 30 days when the customer fails to response to the pre-final demand notice. The customer is then advised that failure to respond will result in the account being turned over to a collection agency with additional fees added.
  • Toll By Plate customers will receive an initial invoice for travel and will have 30 days to pay or resolve before a past due invoice is mailed with a late fee included. If after 60 days the customer has not paid their balance, unpaid invoices are eligible to be sent to a collection agency.

Helping you stay safe.

In April 2024, The Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission (PTC) became aware of a smishing scam targeting Pennsylvania residents with text messages claiming to be from the PA Turnpike. Similar scams have been reported by other tolling agencies across the country.

This was not a security breach. These text messages were being sent to random Pennsylvania cell phone numbers. The texts, which claim to be from “PA Turnpike Toll Services,” are requesting personal and financial information to settle outstanding toll fees, and threaten additional late fees, if the overdue debt is not settled immediately.

These text messages are not from the PTC and the link included in the text message is not connected to our organization.

Customers who receive these communications should not click on any links within these text messages.

Below is a sample of what the smishing scam text may look like. If you click on this link, it will send you to a fake PA Turnpike website to collect your information.

Knowfraud when you see it.

Know what to look for and learn what to do if you think you’ve been a victim of a scam.

• If the communication includes language that's alarming, urgent or threatening, it is most likely a scam.
• Most scams are poorly written, riddled with misspellings and poor grammar.
• Check all financial account statements regularly.
  
• Be aware of unknown medical bills.
• Look for unexpected credit cards or unknown accounts that are suddenly opened in your name.
• Check your credit report regularly.
• Watch for missing mail, like monthly statements or bills.
• Be mindful of any errors on your tax return.
• If you believe you are receiving fraudulent communications, immediately file a complaint atwww.ic3.gov. This is the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s (FBI) Internet Crime Complaint Center. This site is dedicated to sharing information on internet crimes across law enforcement agencies.
• Resist the pressure to act immediately. Honest businesses will give you time to make decisions when it comes to financial matters. Anyone who pressures you to pay or give them your personal information immediately is most likely a scammer.

For more information on scams and fraud, visit https://www.usa.gov/scams-and-fraud.