(WHTM) — The Pennsylvania Turnpike said it will never taxt about unpaid tolls, and now it will start a pilot program to text drivers about unpaid tolls.
The Turnpike Commission currently works with two collection agencies — Harris & Harris and TSI. As it continues improving collection efforts, it is launching the six-month program to send texts to those with outstanding toll balances.
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“I feel like they should still send them out in letter form and not text messages because the scams, everybody thinks that if you don’t know the number that text you these days, it’s a scam,” said Ashley Goles of Harrisburg.
Becky Trutt of Halifax, believes this idea is “crazy.”
“I’ve actually gotten a text message from the Turnpike and I was like, that is a scam,” Trutt said. “I should not respond. So to hear that they’re doing it is just crazy to me.”
In February, the Turnpike was warning its customers of a new smishing scam — demanding money for unpaid tolls.
“Scams are hard to you know, they’re hard to point out,” Goles added. “And you never know. People are so legitimate these days when they try to scam you. They become professionals at it.”
Although scams are negative, some think there could be positives with this program.
“I see convenience,” said Trutt. “I see maybe a quicker notification process because people, I think, before they would send it through the mail, and so now they can see it quicker and respond quicker and hopefully not have additional fees added on to their bill. I could see potential pitfalls, but overall, I’m sure they’ll find a way to work through it.”
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And they are working through it.
According to a represenative from the Turnpike Commission, “We are still working out the exact messaging, but will do pre-messaging with customers before this begins so they know exactly what to expect.”
This pilot program starts June 1.
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