Got a 407 ETR text about an unpaid toll? Here is how to tell if it is real.
Almost always a scam. Here is the 30-second check.
A text says you owe a toll, with a deadline, a threat about your licence and a link to pay. Real 407 ETR reminders do exist, which is why this one needs a check rather than a reflex. Five Durham residents confirmed receiving the first version below.
Is this the message you received?
Received in DurhamETR407: This is a notification regarding the $7.97 CAD balance that is still unpaid. The remaining amount must be paid in full by January 31st, 2024, in order to prevent late fees and any issues with your driver’s license. Please visit our secure website at: [link removed]. We appreciate your collaboration. Data and Messaging fees might apply.
Reported in Ontario[407 ETR Toll Alert] – Toll Violation Notice. Our records indicate that you may have an unpaid toll violation on the 407 ETR. Please settle your outstanding balance online within 24 hours at the link below. If payment is not received by the due date, you may face fines, escalating late fees, vehicle registration suspension with ServiceOntario, and potential legal action with significant penalties. [link removed] (Reply Y and re-open this message to click the link, or copy it to your browser.)
Reported in OntarioHIGHWAY 407ETR: To prevent the suspension of your license and additional fees, it is imperative to pay your toll before February 26 , 2025 visit :[link removed]
Reported in OntarioImmediate Action Required! Resolve the unpaid ticket for the Highway 407 before 15/10/2024 without delay to continue having access to your driving license: [link removed]
The amount, the date and the threat change between waves: a $7.97 balance one month, a 24-hour escalation the next. What stays constant is a link to pay and a threat to your licence, which 407 ETR does not send. Note the American spelling "license" in three of the four. Ontario spells it licence.
How it works
The texts create urgency: pay now or fees go up and your licence is at risk. The link leads to a convincing copy of the 407 ETR website that captures your card details. Some messages even include the real 407 ETR phone number at the bottom to look official. 407 ETR issued a formal warning in November 2025 after a surge in reports, and repeated it during Fraud Prevention Month in March 2026.
Durham drivers use the 407 every day, and plenty remember paying tolls on the 412 and 418 too, which were removed in April 2022. That history makes a toll text feel plausible here, even for drivers who have not been on a toll road in years.
The 30-second check
Who sent it? Real 407 ETR reminders come from a six-digit short code, not a ten-digit phone number or an email address. Does it use your first name? Real reminders do. Does the link go to 407etr.com and nowhere else? Anything else is fake. Does it ask for a password, PIN or card details, or threaten your licence? 407 ETR never does either. One wrong answer means it is a scam. If every answer checks out and you have an account, confirm by opening the 407 ETR app or typing 407etr.com yourself.
How the real 407 ETR contacts you
407 ETR says its payment reminder texts are sent from an official six-digit short code and include the customer’s first name. Account information and payments can only be accessed through 407etr.com or the official 407 ETR app, and its communications never contain a link to any other website.
It will never ask for passwords, PINs or credit card details through any communication channel. If you want to check a balance, open the app or type 407etr.com into your browser yourself.
Source: 407 ETR, March 2026
Does 407 ETR send text messages?
Yes. 407 ETR sends payment reminders by text, from a six-digit short code, using your first name, and linking only to 407etr.com. Those reminders never ask for a password, PIN or card number, and they do not threaten your licence or registration. A toll text from a ten-digit number, or with any other link, is a scam.
What to do
- Do not tap the link. 407 ETR never asks for passwords or card details by text.
- Check your balance only at 407etr.com typed into your browser, or in the official app.
- If you tapped the link, entered details or paid: here is exactly what to do next, step by step.
- Report the text by forwarding it to 7726 (SPAM). How to do that on iPhone and Android.
- Got a different message? Run it through our one-minute checker.
Sources
If this has already happened to you, our scam recovery visit can lock down your accounts and devices. And if you are just not sure whether something is a scam, asking us is always free.