PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — You’ve been warned over and over again to ignore fraudulent texts about overdue tolls that appear to be from the Pennsylvania Turnpike. But soon, some of those texts could be legit.
The Pennsylvania Turnpike is planning a six-month pilot project to see whether texting drivers about unpaid tolls will encourage them to pay up before extra fees kick in.
Right now, after 60 days, unpaid tolls are turned over to a collection agency and a $25 penalty is imposed.
Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission press secretary Marissa Orbanek said it’s an experiment to see if a text from debt collector Transworld Systems, Inc. will push delinquent drivers to settle up sooner. The pilot will begin this summer.
“Through this pilot, TSI would send the text to the customers on days 31 and 45,” she said, “and it’s really only going to half of those customers because we want to see if it’s effective.”
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But after all of the headlines about fraudulent texts, how will drivers know these are authentic?
“We’re still working out the messaging content to really avoid common indicators of fraudulent texts; really avoiding that urgent language, demands for immediate payment,” said Orbanek.
The Pennsylvania Turnpike had $240 million in unpaid tolls last year — nearly all from toll-by-plate customers who ignored bills.
