What To Do When A Toll Camera Sends You A Wrongful Charge

There are enough stressors and complications in modern life without wrongfully issued charges coming your way, but alas, it does sometimes happen. The most important thing to know about incorrectly attributed toll charges is that the best course of action is to act promptly, rather than allowing an unpaid notice to escalate into further issues.

Your first port of call should be to double-check the notice carefully. Inspect the stated license plate, date, time, and location against your own records. If the plate or car clearly isn't yours, or the charge is from an expensive tollway you don't use, state this clearly in the dispute. Some tollways point out that license-plate images can be misread and will allow customers to dispute them. In fact, contacting the tollway's customer service department is the best initial approach, rather than reaching out to the DMV. 

Any evidence — such as GPS data from driving-related apps – should be submitted early on to help prove your case. Throughout the process, remember to keep all paperwork — from the original notice to any correspondence and photographs — safe, and double-check the notice's specific payment and dispute deadlines so that you're following the processes to a T.

The systems used on tollways are fairly accurate, but they aren't perfect. As the Federal Highway Administration notes, weather can affect ALPR accuracy, as can off-axis viewing and dirty or damaged plates. In ideal conditions, ALPR cameras can demonstrate image-capture accuracy in excess of 95%, which is certainly high, but still leaves room for error. 

Different plate designs can also create identification problems. For example, the Illinois Tollway specifically states that certain license plate types sometimes lead to plate misidentification. This was seen earlier in 2026 with a new Pennsylvania plate design. Sure, there are some awesome plate designs out there, but if they wind up issuing unwarranted toll charges, perhaps it's best to switch to something a little more legible.

On occasion, the error doesn't lie with the tollway itself. Plate cloning is a separate issue. If the plate in the notice matches yours, but the car doesn't, raise this issue with both the tollway itself and the relevant state authorities. The car make and model might even be the same as yours, but if you suspect the plate has been cloned, be sure to report this quickly to avoid further fines. 

Another concern could be a fraudulent toll charge, designed to steal money from those simply looking to pay and have the charge disappear. If unsure, instead of using contact information from the notice itself, verify the contact details from the tollway's official website. If the details don't match, report the fraudulent notice to the relevant authorities.