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Unpaid toll texts: how to spot a fake Linkt or EastLink message

By the StoryCheck team · 6 min read · Published 29 September 2026

A text saying you owe a toll and must pay through a link, often within hours, is almost always a scam. Linkt says it never asks you to click a link in a text to confirm personal or financial details, EastLink says its real messages always include your name, number plate and account number, and since 1 July 2026 texts using an unregistered brand name arrive labelled 'Unverified'. To check whether you really owe anything, log in to your toll account yourself, never through the message.

What does a fake toll text look like?

Linkt's own scam alerts show how the scripts change. In August 2025 it warned of messages claiming an outstanding toll balance that had to be paid within 12 hours, in May 2026 of texts impersonating toll operators and demanding urgent payment, and in August 2026 of emails saying accounts were on hold. Other versions pose as Collection House, a debt collection agency, chasing overdue tolls, or arrive by email offering a toll relief credit through a fake claims page.

Why do toll scams work on so many drivers?

Because the premise is believable. Linkt handles tolls across Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane, and Melbourne alone has three toll roads: CityLink, the West Gate Tunnel and EastLink. Plenty of drivers genuinely forget a trip, borrow a car or drive interstate without a tag, and a small amount with a short deadline does the rest.

The toll is not what the scammers want. EastLink says the phishing sites behind these texts exist to capture credit card details, which are then used for large fraudulent transactions. That is why reported losses look small: Scamwatch received 884 reports of toll scams from January to October 2025, with $8,392 reported lost, while the bigger damage comes when stolen card details are used later. The ACCC reported that losses to phishing scams such as Hi Mum and toll or Linkt texts jumped 469% in 2022, to $24.6 million. The same playbook runs through Australia Post delivery texts and myGov messages.

What changed for toll texts on 1 July 2026?

The SMS Sender ID Register went live. Any organisation that texts under its own name, such as Linkt, must now register that sender ID, and texts using an unregistered name are labelled 'Unverified' by the carrier and grouped in a single thread. Linkt says its texts show Linkt as the sender, and EastLink says only EastLink can send texts showing its name.

The label helps, but it is not the whole test. ACMA says the new rules do not apply to texts from ordinary phone numbers or to apps such as WhatsApp, iMessage and Facebook Messenger, and warns that scam messages can still arrive that way, even under a familiar-looking name. Linkt itself may, in rare cases, text from a mobile number when it needs a reply about an account enquiry. So a message without the label still has to pass the checks below.

How do you check whether you really owe a toll?

1. 1

   Do not tap the link

   Opening the text is fine. Tapping the link, and above all entering card details on the page it opens, is where the harm starts.

2. 2

   Check with Linkt directly

   Open the Linkt app or type linkt.com.au yourself and log in, which is Linkt's own advice. Without an account, you can search for toll invoices using your licence plate number on the website or in the app.

3. 3

   Check EastLink the same way

   On eastlink.com.au, the Settle toll invoice page lets you enter your plate and state and retrieve any real outstanding invoice.

4. 4

   Know how NSW toll relief really works

   The NSW weekly toll cap dropped from $60 to $50 on 6 July 2026. Rebates are claimed by linking your toll account to your MyServiceNSW account, claims open three months after the toll period ends, and approved claims are paid into your bank account within 10 to 15 business days. A text offering an instant toll refund through a link is not part of it.

5. 5

   Check the sending number

   If the text came from a mobile number, a reverse lookup shows whether it is a real Australian mobile or a VoIP line, and whether it carries scam signals.

What if you already entered your card details?

• Call your bank or card provider straight away, on the number printed on your card, and ask them to block the card and stop any pending transactions.
• If you typed a password into the fake page, change it everywhere you use it, starting with your email and banking.
• Check your statements over the following weeks and report anything you do not recognise.
• Report the text to Scamwatch, forward it to ACMA on 0429 999 888, and let Linkt know through the scam report form on its website.
• If you entered licence or passport details, IDCARE can help on 1800 595 160.