Those texts threatening legal action for unpaid Peach Pass tolls? Ignore it. Here’s why
No, you don’t owe any toll fees and you won’t face penalties or legal action if you fail to pay them, but that won’t stop the crooks from flooding your inbox.
A wave of scam texts masquerading as Peach Pass toll notifications has been plaguing Georgia phone owners lately, and it’s become a dangerous nuisance to texters everywhere.
This clever new round of scam attempts is called “smishing,” which combines “SMS” and “phishing” and has become a national bummer, plaguing states from Georgia all the way to California.
Georgia, beware
Most phone-owners catch on fairly quickly, but officials advise not to click the link and to warn your less tech-savvy loved ones about the risk.
State Road and Tollway Authority published an account safety alert on their website reminding residents, “The State Road & Tollway Authority/Peach Pass will never verify customers’ personal information or toll trips, nor ask for personal or account information by email or text message.”
The FBI is also on the case after being flooded with over 1,500 complaints in March alone. The FBI Atlanta field office issued a warning about this “smishing” scam, reporting losses at $3,643.42, so far. This number is concerning on its own, but officials believe the actual number of victims is much larger.
What should you do about these texts?
Most importantly, resist the urge to click any links.
The FBI advises recipients of the texts to file a complaint on their Internet Crime Complaint Center at ic3.gov.
There’s not much more to do beyond that, besides delete the text and move on.
How can you help the less tech savvy?
Putting your number on the Do Not Call list does not effectively help with scam texts because scammers tend to ignore those lists. The scammers are using more sophisticated technology these days, using “spoofed” numbers that transmit fraudulent numbers to your caller ID.
The evolution of these kinds of hoaxes are particularly dangerous to senior citizens who may not have as much experience with this kind of deceit.
There are a few techniques you can try to educate them:
Discuss common scams: Stay informed about the kinds of scams that affect them most like Medicare scams, IRS impersonation and grandparent scams.
Install call blocking apps: Some popular ones to investigate are Ooma Premier, Hiya, Robokiller, or Truecaller.
Encourage call screening: Suggest they only answer calls they know and let the rest go to voicemail.
Protect personal information: Emphasize never sharing sensitive data over the phone.
Have you or someone you know fallen victim to a scam or do you have a special technique you use to combat these kinds of plots? Email me at srose@ledger-enquirer.com or find me on Instagram.
This story was originally published March 14, 2025 at 4:01 PM with the headline "Those texts threatening legal action for unpaid Peach Pass tolls? Ignore it. Here’s why."
