Did you get an email from an Indiana government agency about unpaid tolls? It's a scam.
A former email provider for the State of Indiana has been hacked and is sending fraudulent toll road scam emails, the Indiana Office of Technology confirmed in a statement on the morning of May 13.
"The Indiana Office of Technology (IOT) is aware of fraudulent messages purportedly sent by state agencies about collecting tolls," the statement said. "These messages are scams, and users should not click on any of the links."
Here's what we know.
No, you will never receive unpaid toll notifications via text or email messages.If you received an email from what appears to be a legitimate government office asking for unpaid toll information, the Indiana Office of Technology urges you to avoid clicking on any of the links.
The newest Indiana toll scam emails may look like they are being sent from a legitimate Indiana government agency including:
Indiana Department of Correction
Indiana Department of Child Services
Indiana Department of Natural Resources
Indiana Emergency Operations Center
Indiana Department of Transportation
Indiana Family and Social Services Administration
Indiana Arts Commission
The email address may also look legitimate. For example, a fraudulent email from the Family and Social Services Administration was sent from the email address fssa@subscriptions.in.gov.
It was once an email the department used through another company, but service has since been discontinued. The account with access to these former government email addresses has been hacked, the Indiana Office of Technology said.
"The State of Indiana's contract with this company ended on 12/31/24, but they did not remove the State's account," the statement said. "A contractor's account was hacked and used to send those messages."
This is why they appear to be from legitimate email addresses for government offices, but are indeed fraudulent.
More on toll road scams: The Indiana Toll Road won't text you to collect payment. Don't fall for the latest smishing scheme
The subject line will read some variation of "TxTag Account Suspension Warning."
In the body of the message, it will say something along the lines of "You have unpaid toll fees. Failure to pay may result in penalties" and include a link to pay. It is crucial that you do not click the link or provide your payment information.
The email is signed off by "TxTag Customer Service," which helps you identify that the email is not actually from the department it claims to be.
You will never receive unpaid toll notifications via text or email messages in the state of Indiana. Especially not from the Department of Natural Resources or Child Services.
No; the state of Indiana does not send unpaid toll notifications via text or email messages.
At the time of publication, the Indiana Office of Technology is not aware of any current state systems being compromised.
More on toll road scams: Indianapolis is one of the top cities receiving toll road scam texts in the United States
Katie Wiseman covers trending news for IndyStar and Midwest Connect. Contact her at klwiseman@gannett.com. Follow her on Bluesky @katiewiseman.
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Will government offices email me about unpaid tolls? No, they are a scam
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