I received the below email for this car of ours. We have had this car for years and updated the latest sticker tag a while ago when we were last notified as can be confirmed from the records. We never had any such citation like the one below prior to the recent events, and this car has been in our family for years. Is this a genuine email considering there are all kinds of spams out there?
- https://agency.illinoistollway.com/fraudulent-electronic-communication
- https://news.trendmicro.com/2024/07/08/illinois-tollway-good-to-go-tolls-scam-text/
- https://www.shawlocal.com/news/2025/02/28/that-text-saying-you-owe-for-unpaid-tolls-its-a-phishing-scam-authorities-warn/
Secondly, when we received a similar email before, I reached out to Illinois Tollway related number [(#####] and they confirmed that the tag is placed right, that the tag has been registered now and should not be an issue. Now, we are seeing the same. I am positive Illinois tollway or connected parties have their own record as well. I even checked our online account, and a specific transponder has been assigned to this license plate, which was also confirmed over the phone during the last conversation. The call happened on #### at 9:24:35 AM.
Sincerely,
EXHIBITS INCLUDED: UPDATED ON APR 16, 2026
1. Screenshot of recent email sent.
2. Balance suddenly became zero after the recent communication.
3. Balance prior - we had something similar in January, which I believe, we ended up paying, though auto payment and auto-replenishment had been in the account all these years.
4. Video tolls that were paid in 2025, and no citations then.
5. SMS message suddenly after the email communication started, which suggests that there are outlets tracking every move (emails, phone conversations and more - I even shared an instance when after posting comments on a company, we received a telemarketing email with ad for jobs from that company through the USPS on the same day) - this is why I wrote more than a decade ago that true Einsteins and Ramanujans would be in the doldrums when all kinds of crooks continue to prosper further.
6. Please note that this country spends almost on par with the next 5-10 industrialized nations in surveillance and tracking - if they really want to address these issues, it would have been done by now - I guess these tools are more to support those who are part of their ecosystem, and sideline those who question their questionable actions.
For example, the FBI wanted us to avoid using 2FA authentication, whereas all major institutions recommend using 2FA authentication, and in some cases it is even somewhat mandatory for additional line of protection.
