Schaghticoke man charged for E-ZPass tolls in places he never was

Perry Denton, who lives in Schaghticoke, received several emails from E-ZPass that his credit card was charged in $15 increments to replenish his account.

Denton said it’s normal to get that email once every so often, but not several in a row. He knew something was off.

That’s when he logged onto his account and noticed four different $15 charges to pay for a toll in Indiana. Denton said he has not driven to the Hoosier state in years.

"I have not been in Indiana in quite some time."

In mid-November, he was charged $58.79 for a tractor-trailer going through an Indiana toll, but he does not own or drive that type of vehicle. He has a Fiat.

"I did go down to my vehicle, a Fiat, and I pulled out the transponder and sure enough the last four digits on that transponder were exactly the ones associated with that charge in Indiana."

Denton contacted E-ZPass customer service to dispute the charge, but he said the charge was only changed from a 5-axle vehicle to a 2-axle vehicle. He still owed a difference of about $9.

"It was concerning and frustrating to think about the amount of reads are done on these E-ZPass units just in New York and all the other states associated with it."

That’s when he called 13 Investigates for help. Our station contacted E-ZPass, the New York State Thruway, and Indiana Toll Road.

They told us to send along their contact information to Denton to further help him. Within two days, Denton received a full refund.

"I definitely am very thankful and pleased that we at least got it resolved," he said. "I believe other people need to know some of the intricacies of this E-ZPass system we take for granted every day."

Denton said he has not yet received clarity as to why this may have happened to him.

The New York Thruway Authority said they are unaware if similar situations have happened to others. They urge customers to look at their statements and contact them or E-ZPass if they have questions.

In a statement, they said:

"We are happy to help all customers and urge anyone who has questions or concerns about their toll bills to contact us. Customers can reach the Tolls by Mail customer service center at 1-844-826-8400 and the E-ZPass customer service center at 1-800-333-8655."

Indiana Toll Road is investigating the charge on Denton’s account. Approximately 98% of all ITR traffic passes through unmanned toll lanes without any issue or need for assistance (including more than 99% of E-ZPass customers).