Illinois drivers, be wary of the latest phishing shenanigans featuring a 438 area code—the texts you're getting about unpaid tolls are a fiasco, officials say. In a grandly deceptive push, these messages claim to be from "Illinois Tollway Services" and warn recipients of supposedly unsettled invoices. However, according to NBC Chicago, the Illinois Tollway clearly states these SMS messages are fraudulent.

Folks took to social media, describing how the messages from an out-of-state number, demanded payment for unpaid tolls. The Tollway first alerted the public to this scam in the spring of 2024, noting a resurgence around the Fourth of July before another bout of texts on a Wednesday morning. Confirming the deceit, Kye Martin, NBC 5's traffic reporter, received one such text from the 438 area code, which oddly syncs to Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Martin's text read, "Illinois Tollway Services, out records indicate that your vehicle has an unpaid toll invoice," encouraging clickers to "settle your balance" via a questionable URL, as per NBC Chicago.

Mount Prospect police similarly aired their warnings on Facebook, as relayed by ABC 7 Chicago. They encouraged potential victims to validate their accounts via the legitimate Illinois Tollway website or ring the customer service center during the business hours of 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. on weekdays.