Extortionist Highway: Tatarstan residents are being asked to pay to travel on the new M-12 Moscow-Kazan highway, even if they haven't used it.

Some drivers report persistent calls from automated telephone systems that they cannot get rid of for a long time. 

One of the residents Kazan For over a month, he received calls from the Unified Operator about a 970-ruble debt for driving a car with an unknown license plate. He was threatened with a fine. Calling the hotline didn't help.   

"I live in Tatarstan and never go within the Kazan area. What's with the 250-ruble fine? I called the hotline—it's a different make of car." "An automated caller called about a 371-ruble debt. I didn't drive on the M-12." complain other drivers. 

The "Unified Operator," which is responsible for collecting tolls, explains it this way: car owners, when checking their toll debt on their website, sometimes make a mistake when entering their phone number, and their car ends up being "linked" to someone else's number.

Fighting back can be difficult: the "Unified Operator" suggests filing complaints with scanned copies of numerous documents or visiting the service center in person. 

People who accidentally drove onto the M-12 are also being asked to pay. They say they saw no barriers or warnings that it was a toll road.

Problems with the M-12 began immediately after its opening. Due to shortage of gas stations huge queues formed, drivers complained about non-existent U-turns, and later began collapse Dirt on the shoulders. The approximately 800-kilometer highway cost almost a trillion rubles.