FasTrak Toll Text Scam Alert

Scammers are innovative and always looking for new ways and different channels to defraud individuals, customers, and business owners.

A recent exposition involving toll text scams led us to explore how they do it with EZDriveMA and E-ZPass, two credible toll management systems operating in Massachusetts and across many states in America.

But that isn't all; there are targets on other companies, and FasTrak is one of them. That's why we're bringing you an exposition on the FasTrak toll text scam to create more awareness.

What Is FasTrak?

FasTrak is an electronic-only tolling system that operates across the state of California, enabling drivers to automatically make toll payments. It serves as the primary tolling system that houses other agencies, including the Bay Area Toll Authority, The Toll Roads, SANDAG, and others.

With a FasTrak account, road users can register their vehicles' license plates and receive a transponder that enables easy and automated toll collection through FasTrak tolling points available on toll bridges, express lanes, and other road areas.

FasTrak provides a variety of transponders, including the standard transponder, headlamp transponder, sticky transponder, motorcycle transponders, and Flex. With that, you can explore their features and benefits to choose which one best fits your needs.

How does it work?

You drive your vehicle with your mounted transponder along the FasTrak lane. An antenna transmits, and the system collects the toll, eliminating the need for toll booths. This creates an easy and swift payment process.

While FasTrak makes toll payments easy for residents of California, what happens if you're unable to pay the bill? This is where scammers have devised a means to defraud customers through fear and threats. What is called a toll text scam.

FasTrak Toll Text Scam

The FasTrak toll scam is a smishing scam that involves text messages claiming to be from FasTrak to trick people into paying a fake unpaid toll fee. Scammers employ a sense of urgency in the texts, instilling fear in recipients, in an attempt to steal from them.

Like the EZDriveMA text scam, FasTrak users and residents of California receive random text messages and emails from scammers claiming to be from FasTrak with a notice of unpaid tolls that should be remitted immediately to avoid additional charges.

The message includes links to a website with the word "FasTrak" or "EZDriveMA" added to the URL to make it look legitimate, but the fact is that FasTrak will never send you such text messages. The messages often come from scammers who want to steal your personal information and banking details for fraudulent purposes.

What Should You Do?

First, you have to realize that it's a fake text message. So you don't have to worry about it. 

• Block and report the number as spam. 
• Before deleting, consider reporting the message and number to the FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) at www.IC3.gov.
• If in doubt, call FasTrak or reach out to the agency that you're registered with to inquire into the situation.
• Only log in to the legitimate FasTrak website at fastrak.org. If you're in the Bay Area, you should visit www.bayareafastrak.org and get official contact information.

For detailed instructions on how to report and block scam phone numbers, read the guide here and use our scam text checker to analyze suspicious text messages. Never forget, your safety comes first.