Getting texts that you owe Kansas or Missouri for traffic tolls? Officials say ignore them
The texts look real and sound official. They include a cute automobile emoji and a message ostensibly from the Kansas Turnpike Authority or Missouri Department of Transportation.
“Your vehicle has an unpaid toll invoice. . .To avoid high late fees on your bill, please settle the balance promptly.”
They give you a dollar figure. They give you a link that leads to what seems to be a legitimate site.
The truth they don’t reveal: These are scams, occurring nationwide.
The Kansas Turnpike Authority doesn’t send out unsolicited texts. More ludicrous still: Missouri has no toll roads.
“I mean, it’s everywhere across the United States,” Jeri Biehler, a spokeswoman for the Kansas Turnpike Authority said Thursday. “The thing is, Midwesterners, we want to do the right thing. People get that (text) and they think, ‘Maybe I do owe,’ and they go ahead and click on it.”
But don’t.
In April the Federal Bureau of Investigation sent out a public service alert on the fraud, saying the agency had received 2,000 complaints about the texts in a single month. They identified it as a “smishing” con, defined as “a social engineering attack using fake text messages to trick people into downloading malware, sharing sensitive information or sending money to cybercriminals.”
The term is a combination of an SMS, or “short messaging service,” fraud and “phishing,” looking to dupe people via the internet, emails or websites.
In January, the Federal Trade Commission also issued a consumer alert.
“Scammers are pretending to be tolling agencies from coast to coast and sending texts demanding money,” the alert says. “Not only is the scammer trying to steal your money, but if you click the link, they could get your personal info (like your driver’s license number) — and even steal your identity.”
Authorities recommend that people report receiving the texts to the federal Internet Crime Complaint Center.
Biehler noted that the Kansas Turnpike Authority will only send emails or texts to individuals who already have a Ktag account. The Kansas Turnpike, running from Oklahoma to Kansas City, is the state’s only toll road. It has been cashless since the summer of 2024.
Any payments require individuals to first sign into their accounts.
“There is nothing they would pay on a text itself,” Biehler said.
This story was originally published February 20, 2025 at 3:38 PM.
