Linkt Scam: How to Spot a Fake Unpaid Toll Text in Australia

A Linkt scam is a text or email pretending to be from Linkt, the toll road brand, saying you have an unpaid toll and must pay today to avoid a fine or extra fees. The link goes to a copy of Linkt’s website that steals your card and personal details. Don’t tap the link. If you think you might really owe a toll, check your account in the official Linkt app, or go to Linkt’s website by typing the address yourself. If there’s nothing owing there, the message was fake.

These texts go out in bulk, so they reach people who haven’t driven on a toll road in months, and people who never have. They’re convincing because tolls are easy to forget. If you’ve already paid, you’re far from alone, and there are clear steps to limit the damage.

How the Linkt scam works

It’s a form of smishing, or phishing by text, and it follows the same pattern as toll scams in other countries. Our toll text scam guide explains how the same trick works in the US.

1. The message arrives from an unfamiliar mobile number, an overseas number or an email address, and uses Linkt’s name or logo.
2. It creates urgency: a small amount is overdue, and fees or penalties will be added unless you pay today.
3. It links to a fake payment page with a web address that includes words like “linkt”, “toll” or “pay” but isn’t Linkt’s real site.
4. The page asks for your details: name, address, phone number, card number and sometimes your license plate or a one-time code from your bank.
5. Your details are the real target. Scammers use the card, sell the information, or follow up by phone pretending to be your bank’s fraud team.

The small amount is deliberate. People are more likely to pay a few dollars without thinking twice, and entering your card is all the scammer needs.

Why toll scams are so convincing

Toll scams work because they fit real life. Many drivers use toll roads without thinking about it, some have old accounts or tags they’ve forgotten, and visitors in hire cars often aren’t sure how tolls are billed. A text about a small unpaid amount feels plausible to almost anyone who drives in a city with toll roads.

Scammers also copy the look of real messages closely, using Linkt’s colors, logo and plain, official wording. The fake pages are often good copies of the real site. That’s why the web address, not the design, is the thing to check, and why the safest habit is never to pay through a link at all.

Signs a Linkt text or email is fake

• The link doesn’t go to Linkt’s official website. Look closely: scam addresses often add extra words or use a different ending.
• It threatens fines, court action or a suspended license if you don’t pay immediately.
• It doesn’t mention specific trip details you recognize, such as the road, date or your account number.
• It came from a random mobile number or email address.
• You haven’t used a toll road recently, or you have a Linkt account that pays tolls automatically.
• It asks you to reply or copy the link into your browser, a trick used to get around link filters.
• The page asks for a one-time code from your bank to “confirm” the toll payment.

Linkt publishes scam warnings and advice on its official website. Check there for the current details of how it contacts customers.

What to do if you got a Linkt text but didn’t pay

1. Don’t tap the link or reply. Replying tells scammers your number is active.
2. Check your real account in the official Linkt app or website.
3. Report it to Scamwatch, including the sender’s number and the link. Our guide on how to report a scam to Scamwatch explains what to include.
4. Delete the message after taking a screenshot.

What to do right away if you paid or entered details

1. Contact your bank through its official app or the number on your card. Say you entered card details on a phishing site. Ask it to block or replace the card and review recent transactions with you.
2. Watch your statements for charges you don’t recognize, including small test payments, and report them quickly.
3. Change passwords if you entered a Linkt login or reused that password elsewhere, and turn on two-factor authentication. Our guide on what to do if your account was hacked covers the steps.
4. Protect your identity if you gave your driver license number, date of birth or other ID. IDCARE, Australia and New Zealand’s not-for-profit identity and cyber support service, can help you work out what to do.
5. Expect follow-up calls. Scammers who have your number may pretend to be your bank or Linkt. Hang up and call back on a number you look up yourself.
6. Report it to Scamwatch, and through ReportCyber at cyber.gov.au if you lost money.

If you tapped a link and something downloaded, or your phone starts acting strangely, see our guide on what to do if your phone has been hacked.

Where to report a Linkt scam in Australia

• Scamwatch: run by the National Anti-Scam Centre, which uses reports to warn the public and disrupt scams.
• ReportCyber: the Australian Government’s cybercrime reporting service, for losses of money or data.
• Linkt: its official website explains how to report scam messages. Use the details you find there.
• Your bank: report the payment as fraud.

For every reporting route in one place, including other countries, see our guide on how to report a scammer.

Can you get your money back?

• Card payments: usually your best chance. Ask your bank about a chargeback or fraud claim as soon as possible.
• Further charges made with your card: report them to your bank quickly. Banks investigate unauthorized transactions under their own terms and industry codes.
• Bank transfers or crypto: much harder to reverse, but tell your bank straight away.
• If your bank says no: complain to the bank first, then take it to the Australian Financial Complaints Authority (AFCA), which is free.

Watch out for anyone offering to recover your money for a fee afterward. These are recovery scams.

A worked example

This is an illustrative scenario, not a real case. Tom drives across Sydney most weeks. One evening he gets a text saying he has an unpaid Linkt toll and a late fee will be added at midnight. The amount is small, so he taps the link and enters his card number.

1. The page then asks for a code his bank has just sent. The bank’s message says never to share it, so Tom stops.
2. He opens the official Linkt app. His account is in credit and there are no unpaid trips.
3. He calls his bank on the number on his card. The bank cancels the card and sends a new one.
4. He reports the text to Scamwatch and tells his partner, who got the same message.

A few days later a caller claiming to be from Tom’s bank says there’s been fraud on his card and asks him to confirm his online banking login. He hangs up and calls the bank himself. It was a follow-up scam.

How to protect yourself next time

• Keep the official Linkt app or a bookmark to Linkt’s website, and check there whenever you get a toll message.
• Set up automatic payment through your real Linkt account if you use toll roads often, so an “unpaid toll” text is easy to dismiss.
• Never enter a bank code on a page you reached from a text.
• Learn the patterns. Our guide to smishing covers fake texts in general, and the Australia Post scam uses the same small-fee trick.
• Tell family and friends, since these messages go out in waves.

Government names are copied the same way. See our myGov scam guide for fake refund and account messages.

If you run a business and scammers have copied your brand in fake payment texts, customers may blame you in reviews or social posts. Our reputation monitoring service can help you spot those mentions early and respond with clear, accurate information.

Common mistakes to avoid

• Paying “just to be safe”. Check your real account first. It takes a minute.
• Searching for Linkt’s number and calling the first result. Use the contact details on the official website or app.
• Replying STOP or asking questions. It confirms your number is active.
• Trusting a follow-up call from your “bank” about the same card.
• Feeling too embarrassed to report. Banks and Scamwatch see these every day.

Frequently asked questions

Does Linkt send texts about unpaid tolls?

Toll operators do contact customers, but you should never pay through a link in an unexpected message. Check the official Linkt app or website, which you open yourself. If nothing is owing there, the text was a scam.

What should I do if I paid a fake Linkt toll?

Contact your bank straight away through its official app or the number on your card, ask it to block the card, and watch for unfamiliar charges. Then report the text to Scamwatch and, if you lost money, through ReportCyber.

How do I check if I really owe a toll?

Sign in to the official Linkt app or Linkt’s website by typing the address yourself. If you don’t have an account, use the contact details on the official website rather than any in the message.

Where do I report a Linkt scam text?

Report it to Scamwatch, and through ReportCyber if you lost money or data. You can also tell Linkt using the contact details on its official website.