If You’re Driving To Disney World, Beware New “smishing” Scams

There are many ways to get to Disney World after you’ve finished planning your vacation. Although many Disney World visitors fly into Orlando International Airport, others choose to drive to the resort from their home or rent a car from the airport to drive to the resort.

Now, we’ve already talked about renting a car to drive around Disney World, as well as keeping you updated on what it’s like driving around the resort, as well as the parking situation. But according to NPR, there’s a scam you might need to know about if you ARE driving to Disney World, and it’s called “smishing.”

“Smishing” is when you get spam texts that get your attention by telling you things like “you’ve won a gift card,” or that you have a surprise refund from the IRS waiting for you, or in this case, you owe toll charges, even if it’s in a state you’ve never driven in. Scammers are using SMS texts in this way to get your data and to get you to pay up. And these texts are becoming more common every day.

In February 2025 alone, Americans received over 19 billion spam texts. Spammers are also now increasingly impersonating everything from gas and electric companies to municipal ticket payment agencies, including those who collect tolls. Now, if you’ve ever driven to Disney World or around Florida, you’ll know there are toll roads. However, if you get a text about not paying a toll in Florida, don’t respond to it.

Teresa Murray, director of the consumer watchdog program at the U.S. Public Interest Research Group (PIRG), said, “In some cases, the texts are trying to get people to provide payment information. In other cases, the texts aim to get people to open links with viruses,” per NPR.

So, how can you protect yourself from spam texts? The first thing you can do is register your phone number with the National Do Not Call Registry. Also, be skeptical of any texts, calls, or emails requesting your username or password. Look carefully at the URL or email address these messages come from, too: many will have typos or other differences from the official websites of that business.

Never EVER click on links in an unsolicited text message, even if it’s telling you it’s a way to opt out or unsubscribe from future messages. If you aren’t sure whether a message is legitimate, look up the company’s phone number on your own and call the company to ask about it. Also, REPORT spam texts by clicking on Report Junk or Report Spam on your phone. You can also forward spam texts to 7726 (SPAM). Once reported, delete the text (and if your phone has the capability, mark it as spam and block it before that).

Stay tuned to DFB for more.

SCAM ALERT: Florida Officially Shuts Down Hundreds of Fake SunPass Toll Sites

Have you seen this scam pop up on your phone? Let us know in the comments!

The post If You’re Driving to Disney World, Beware New “Smishing” Scams first appeared on the disney food blog.