Free-flow toll projects are emerging almost everywhere in the country. A boon for scammers, who are developing new scams. And it can cost you a lot of money!
Free-flow tolls are becoming more and more numerous on the motorways of France. Their principle is simple: users no longer have to stop to pay. In place, gantries detect vehicle registration plates and automatically assign their drivers an invoice, which they must pay on the Aliae operator’s site, using a badge or via a terminal at a service area. This system is supposed to make traffic flow more smoothly, avoiding stops at toll gates. Already installed on the A79, it will subsequently become popular throughout the country. By 2025, projects should see the light of day on the A13 and the A14, before arriving secondarily on the A69 between Toulouse and Castres.
If free-flow tolls are a good idea on paper, they arouse strong dissatisfaction among drivers, who denounce the opacity of the system, particularly in terms of the lack of information when entering these motorways without toll barriers and the complexity of payments. Indeed, with the disappearance of physical barriers, some have the impression that the road is free.
Results: users receive letters informing them that they have “committed an offense punishable by a fine of up to €90” if they did not immediately pay their bill, which they did not even know existed until then. Enough to make them believe it’s a scam! Except, sometimes, that’s really the case!
Because free-flow tolls pose a problem in terms of number plate theft. So, if you are the victim of plate theft and the scammer takes a free-flow toll, the system will ask you to pay the bill! You will then receive an SMS to notify you that a fine is unpaid, but this can easily go under the radar.
And suffice to say that it can be very expensive for you! If you do not pay the fine within 72 hours, you will receive a surcharge of €90. This can go up to €375 if it is not paid within two months. And if you have more than five fixed fines increased in twelve months, you risk a fine of €7,500… Obviously, if you are the victim of identity theft, you do not have to pay the bill, but start by file a complaint. But it can be a real obstacle course to overcome!