SANTA FE, New Mexico — Authorities have sounded the alarm over a wave of fraudulent toll-fee scams targeting residents with bogus messages about unpaid tolls — even though the state has no toll roads whatsoever.
The New Mexico Department of Transportation (NMDOT) on Monday reiterated in a statement that any communication claiming recipients owe toll payments in the state is a “100% fraudulent” scheme to steal personal and financial information. The messages include threats of “enforcement action” after Feb. 4, 2026. It also uses text messages, emails, phone calls, and fake websites to try to panic people into paying.
Scammers employ urgency and official mimicry
According to the NMDOT alert, scammers are sending text messages or emails demanding immediate payment of tolls.
They will also make phone calls claiming toll violations and threaten penalties, and create fake websites that mimic official government pages.
Officials urged residents to ignore unexpected messages about tolls. To be safe, the officials said, avoid clicking suspicious links, and never scan QR codes from spam messages.
State authorities warned New Mexicans about the same scam last year, which also threatened license suspensions and used similar tactics. Officials received a “surge in calls from concerned citizens” who have received fraudulent texts.
Scams on the rise
The toll scam comes amid broader concerns over fraud in New Mexico.
Consumers filed 20,966 fraud and other consumer complaints, according to 2024 data from the Federal Trade Commission’s (FTC) Consumer Sentinel Network. The reported total fraud losses were roughly $56.6 million, with a large share involving imposter scams, identity theft, online shopping fraud, and other schemes.
Imposter scams — a category that includes fraudulent messages posing as government agencies — are the most frequently reported complaint types in New Mexico.
In 2023, a separate FBI Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) report found that residents aged 60 and older lost more than $17 million to online fraud and scams. Hundreds of seniors, the report said, were victimized by confidence, fraudulent investment, and tech support scams.
The FTC reported that government imposter scams alone accounted for $789 million in losses in 2024, a big jump from $171 million a year earlier. The scammers exploited urgent-sounding threats and official branding to deceive victims, the report said.
Officials urge awareness and reporting
Law enforcement and consumer protection officials said prevention and awareness are critical defenses against evolving scam tactics.
“Scammers’ tactics are constantly evolving,” FTC officials said. They underscored the trends in fraud reporting nationwide.
Authorities urged New Mexicans to report suspected scams to their phone service providers, local police, or the FTC.