The Ohio Turnpike is granting motorists a reprieve from paying late fees and fines.
The toll agency announced on Monday that it had received an unusually high volume of calls to its switchboard as a result of unpaid toll bills being sent.
Because callers may have difficulty reaching the toll road, the agency has “paused” all late fees, collections, and BMV registration suspensions.
What should I do if I have a question about Ohio Turnpike bills?
Because phone lines to the Ohio Turnpike billing center are overloaded, drivers are urged to fill out an online form with billing questions.
The Turnpike recommends visiting ezpassoh.com for faster customer service.
Why do so many people call the Ohio Turnpike?
The increase in calls on the toll road is due to a scam that demands payment of outstanding toll bills via SMS.
The text messages are part of a “smishing” scam in which text messages are sent to random numbers pretending to be from the toll road.
“The Ohio Turnpike does not require its E-ZPass customers to make payments via text message. Nor does it collect unpaid tolls and/or toll violations via text message,” the Ohio Turnpike said in a statement.
Tips to avoid smishing scams
The following tips for avoiding smishing scams come from the Federal Communications Commission website:
- Never click on links, never reply to text messages, and never call numbers you don’t recognize.
- Do not reply, even if the message asks you to type “STOP” to end the messages.
- Delete all suspicious texts.
- Make sure your smart device’s operating system and security apps are updated to the latest version.
- For added security, consider installing anti-malware software on your device.
- Protect sensitive personal information – bank accounts, health records, social media accounts, etc. – by using multi-factor authentication to access it.
