NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) — Have you received a text message that claims you have unpaid toll road charges?   It’s a nationwide scam that has been targeting Tennesseans.

“Really, [we] want people to make sure people understand as of right now, there are no toll lanes, toll roads, anything in Tennessee that they would need to be paying a bill on,” Rebekah Hammonds with the Tennessee Department of Transportation said.

That's the message TDOT has shared on social media after text message scams were sent nationwide — including to some employees at News 2.

“I received the text a few weeks ago; people even on our team even received it maybe a couple months ago. . .I would say no one is safe,” Hammonds said.  

While as of publication there are no toll lanes or roads in Tennessee, in coming years, "choice lanes" have been planned along Insterstate 24 between Murfreesboro and Nashville. The lanes will provide drivers with a faster lane if they pay a voluntary fee.  

“I don’t think it's new news to anyone that the I-24 corridor from Nashville to Murfreesboro is one of, if not the most, congested corridor in our state,” Hammonds said. 

Hammonds said everyone should notice a difference when it comes to traffic, whether you decide to drive in the choice lanes or not.   

“What we want to make very clear, though, it is not a toll road. That may seem like we are splitting hairs, but we're really not because a toll road is an entire road that you cannot cross or use without paying a fee."

However, before TDOT continues onto the next phase of the proposed project, they hope to hear from the public this summer. 

“This is going to be a really important phase of the project and critical for the public to give us their feedback on the impact, environmentally, that this project could have” Hammonds said. 

And once toll lanes are in place, she hopes scams like this don’t become more ramped.   

“That is not the way that Choice Lanes would operate. That collections system would not operate in that way,” Hammonds said. 

News Source : https://www.wkrn.com/news/tennessee-news/tdot-warns-about-unpaid-toll-road-charges-scam/