People are getting texts about unpaid Pennsylvania Turnpike tolls again. Here’s how to tell it’s a scam.

A text message scam that first appeared in April has resurfaced claiming drivers owe money for unpaid tolls.

Adding to the confusion, it comes just weeks after the Pennsylvania Turnpike’s switch to open road tolling. But turnpike officials say customers will never get texts from the agency about payments.

The text typically includes a balance amount and a link to click on to pay it. Officials for toll agencies in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware and across the country warn these texts are from scammers.

RELATED: Pennsylvania Turnpike officials warn about text message scam targeting financial information

This type of scam is known as “smishing” – SMS phishing – where fraudsters target your personal and banking information through phony texts.

Reports of bogus text messages have increased this week, officials with the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission and Delaware Department of Transportation said. The agencies warned you should not click any link if you receive a text or email message like that saying it’s from E-ZPass or another toll agency.

The phony unpaid toll texts first started circulating last spring. The agency said the texts are not the result of a data breach of turnpike data and customer information has been and remains safe.

“These are just bad actors who are getting a bunch of random numbers and are sending the messages out hoping to try to lure someone and to get their data directly,” Crispin Havener, a turnpike spokesperson, said.

The Maryland Transportation Authority (MDTA) and Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT) also issued warnings after drivers reported receiving texts purporting to be from DriveEZMD and EZDriveMA.

E-ZPass and Toll By Plate customers can use approved safe methods to check their accounts, including the official Pennsylvania, New Jersey, or Delaware E-ZPass websites or the Toll Pay apps available from the Apple App Store or Google Play store. 

Red flags to spot the scam

Typically these scam texts have several red flags indicating they’re not legit. One text shared with CBS News Philadelphia includes a scam link impersonating EZDriveMA, but the message was sent from a phone number starting with a +63, which is the country code for the Philippines.

Scam texts may also have misspellings or awkward grammar. If the message includes alarming, threatening, or urgent language, the PA Turnpike says it’s also likely a scam.

“Resist the pressure to act immediately. Honest businesses will give you time to make decisions when it comes to financial matters,” the agency said on its website. “Anyone who pressures you to pay or give them your personal information immediately is most likely a scammer.”

It remains unclear how and why certain people are being contacted, but “targeted phone numbers seem to be chosen at random and are not uniquely associated with an account or usage of toll roads,” North Carolina’s Department of Transportation previously warned.

How to know an unpaid toll text is real

If you do ever have an outstanding toll balance you will get multiple letters in the mail first.

The PA Turnpike said it will never text E-ZPass or Toll By Plate customers about unpaid tolls, but that it does work with two debt collection agencies that will text customers who have “significant overdue balances.”

These legitimate texts will come from either Harris and Harris or TSI and will include the driver’s name, company information, and details relating to your account.

Customers who get a fraudulent message can report it to the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center at http://www.ic3.gov/.