Illinois Tollway warns of fake emails, letters

CHICAGO (WLS) -- Fake emails and letters are behind a scam targeting drivers who use I-PASS and E-Z Pass to get through Illinois Tollways.

"It looked legit," Judy Wagner said. "It was, 'You owe this and contact this.'"

However, Wagner was lucky. She had seen a warning from the tollway about possible scams. Illinois Tollway officials posted an alert on its website after several reports of fake emails and letters asking customers to pay up on delinquent tolls.

"Some of our customers have gotten e mails with an E-Z Pass letterhead on it and the letter indicates they owe money on unpaid tolls. This is a phishing scam," Illinois Tollway spokesman Dan Rozek said.

The email, titled, "In arrears for driving on toll road" or "Payment for driving on toll road,"arrives on a bogus E-Z Pass letterhead

"We don't send emails asking for your personal information," Rozek said.

Drivers with any doubt over what they owe should visit a tollway customer service center, call the tollway or sign into an account online.

"Double check it and make a phone call, and say, 'Did you send me this?'" Wagner said.

No customer information has been compromised, according to the tollway officials. Investigators said the scam artists are blindly sending the messages to emails.

To report the scam, file a complaint at the Internet Crime Complaint Center at http://www.ic3.gov/default.aspx.