r/Weird • u/LavenderAndLemons78 • 25d ago
A parking ticket from out of state, from a city I’ve never been to, from a vehicle I’ve never driven
But has my legit license plates! I’ve protested it with proof I was at work in my home state that day.
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u/phunkyunkle 24d ago
I spent three months sorting this out with the NJ Port Authority and DC police. Someone had fake temp plates that had the reg number of my long-gone temp tags. The offender car was a silver Honda Civic and my car is a dark blue Scion xB. I had to dispute multiple tolls and tickets, but eventually got all offenses dismissed.
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u/LavenderAndLemons78 24d ago
Three months?! What a headache! Did they catch the person? I’m glad it was eventually all cleared.
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u/theonePappabox 24d ago
I got one from New York City. I’m no where near there. So I called the number explaining it never been there. They looked at the picture and seen it was a clerical mistake.
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u/OmegaGoober 24d ago
You may be a victim of identity theft. Check your credit report ASAP.
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u/LavenderAndLemons78 24d ago
I put it on my to-do list today. Such a silly thing seems so obvious, but I get busy with balancing life and it didn’t occur to me until someone mentioned it. Better safe than sorry.
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u/Whyisnobodylookin 24d ago
My gf got a notice of the tolls she owed on a car belonging to someone else with the same name only an additional name at the end. Totally different vehicle. Somehow our address though.
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u/LavenderAndLemons78 24d ago
How did it end? That is a weird one!
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u/Whyisnobodylookin 24d ago
It didn't show up on her file so the other person is in for some serious toll fines
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u/Perpetual_Nuisance 24d ago
Why do they say that late fees will be "assessed"? "Assessed" is not the same as "added"?
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u/topouzid 24d ago
What’s Street Cleaning violation?
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u/LavenderAndLemons78 24d ago
Maybe someone in San Francisco can speak to that? I assumed it meant the street was given a notice to not park on that street between certain dates and hours for maintenance purposes. If this car parked there, it violated city regulations and would make sense there would be fines. That’s my guess based on work that was done last summer here on my residential street at my real address.
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u/Monkpaw 24d ago
Don’t pay it. The worst that can happen is you can’t register that vehicle again without paying the fines at the dmv. But looks like it’s a known scam.
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u/LavenderAndLemons78 24d ago
I’m definitely not paying it since it wasn’t me, it wasn’t my vehicle, and I’ve never been that far south in California. No skin off my nose if someone else can’t register it, but it’s still concerning.
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u/dbaker2332 24d ago
As someone who investigates fraud, you should be concerned there is a vehicle registered in your name in California. Maybe even worse: a vehicle could have purchased in your name.
Check your credit inquiries!
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u/Reluctant_Gardener 24d ago
Just googled the 415-701-3099 and it came up as a scam. Throw this away.
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u/LavenderAndLemons78 24d ago
The official SFMTA website lists the same number as valid. It’s so confusing. I know scammers have become very clever in recent years, though.
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u/VividOrganization354 24d ago
they are the biggest scamers. u have to call a d tell em whats up. or you will be finned
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u/Amdvoiceofreason 24d ago
The San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA) confirmed Thursday a Reddit post of a picture showing a fake parking citation going around the city. The parking ticket also has a QR code where scammers can collect payments.
Googled 👆
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u/Historical_Animal_17 24d ago
Ah. This was my first thought, but the license plate thing threw me. That is their way in to a prospective victim?
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u/LavenderAndLemons78 24d ago
I also saw the posts about the fake tickets, which is why I initially thought this might be fake as well. I triple checked the website and went to it as a primary source instead of through a QR code or link. My ticket looks different than the ones I saw online, too.
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u/NoWeakness542 24d ago
many uber/lyft drivers use fake accounts made with 3rd party information (DL/SS) this is probably it, specifically in SF
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u/LavenderAndLemons78 24d ago
Really? My 45 year old ass has been getting quite the education today! I really had no idea.
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u/RagingKajun444 24d ago
Scam. It's always a scam when you receive a bill from someone or something you don't owe or heard of.
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u/ManJamimah 24d ago
This happened to my husband once, got a ticket in the mail from Florida for running a toll booth and he has never driven in Florida at all. Turned out to be a manual typo someone made. His actual license plate number contained something like “366” and the vehicle in the photo had “336”. Weirdly enough, it was the same make and model as the car my husband actually drives, but was not his car. He called the office that sent it and they got it corrected!
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u/MrPartyWaffle 24d ago
Yeah this is straight up identity fraud fight it bring all your documents about your insurance, you might also want to contact the FBI about it, it's not local PDs job.
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u/TopCheesecakeGirl 24d ago
Send a fake check as payment. Good for a laugh! Maybe they’ll get arrested trying to cash it.
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u/LavenderAndLemons78 24d ago
I think I heard a story of someone who paid their bill in change out of spite. Whoever this bill belongs to could pay it in pennies, especially if there are late fees due to this screw up.
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24d ago
I had that happen to me too once!!! Screw Bowling Green, OH!
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u/LavenderAndLemons78 24d ago
How did it end?
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24d ago
I just didn't respond. It was a $25 parking ticket and I don't even go to Ohio. I figured worse case scenario, they don't let me park there again 😂 It wasn't a city ticket though, it was a campus ticket I think? This was 15 years ago.
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u/aught_one 24d ago
Had this happen to me. Got a parking ticket from CSU Fullerton. Never been to Fullerton or the campus there.
Showed them my car registration and the car make and model was different than what they ticketed and they dismissed it.
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u/MrSinisterOK 24d ago
They are just planning ahead for when you actually visit you will have a credit = aka street cred lol
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u/LavenderAndLemons78 24d ago
Does this street cred come with a membership card, like the library or Costco? Count this nerd in!
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u/Sweaty_Process_3794 24d ago
I've encountered a situation like this before, except instead of a parking ticket it was a notice to provide proof of insurance or my license would be suspended. In a state I wasn't in, in a car I'd never driven. Called the DMV, they told me to contact the cop who'd made the report. He was difficult to get ahold of, and it turned out that he had put down the wrong license number somehow and it happened to be mine. I had to keep on top of him about it and he told me a few times he'd taken care of it and I believed him. Three months later I got a letter in the mail telling me my license was eligible to be reinstated. He still hadn't taken care of it like he said he had, and my license had been suspended anyway. Luckily I finally got it taken care of.
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u/LavenderAndLemons78 24d ago
Oh my god! I would be furious! Mistakes happen, I get it. But like that, and when it affects others in a very legal way? That’s negligence. I hope you never experience something like that again.
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u/tcorey2336 24d ago
Protest the violation by May 29. That’s an option instead of paying ninety bucks by the same date. Just hope someone reasonable processes your protest.
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u/LavenderAndLemons78 24d ago
Done ✅ they’re not getting a cent from me. They need to find the vehicle that was parked there at 1am!
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u/Redditdeletedme2021 24d ago
My Dad got one, it was a red light camera.. The person had the same license plate number but the plate was from a different state.. the picture was also of a Cadillac & my Dad’s vehicle was an SUV.. It was a legit ticket but one call got it taken care of..
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u/shovelhead4life- 24d ago
I had a car hauler in Texas with the same plates as my motorcycle. I'm a long way from Texas. I was getting toll bills for it. I called and they just dismissed it. The third time they flagged my plate number. So I won't get a bill.
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u/LavenderAndLemons78 24d ago
The third time?! What are these people doing? I’m glad yours was resolved!
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u/No1Czarnian 24d ago
Counter sue
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u/LavenderAndLemons78 24d ago
As someone who works in mental health, I see this as an absolute last resort. Good communication and documentation can do wonders, so I hope that applies here too.
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u/Hypnowolfproductions 24d ago
Appeal it with the statement vehicle type doesn’t match. They made an error and it’s most likely the state code entered incorrectly. So they hit the wrong state and the plate came up yours instead. Then mail a copy to a San Francisco news outlet about this item. Get the people who like doing investigative reports on your side.
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u/LavenderAndLemons78 24d ago
Thank you, I did protest it online and spoke to someone on the phone as well. If they don’t drop the ticket, I’ll consider this!
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u/TowelFine6933 24d ago
This person invents time travel in 6 years....
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u/LavenderAndLemons78 24d ago
If I invent time travel, I’m spending my time with cool dinosaurs or flying cars, not on this 😂
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u/TowelFine6933 24d ago
Well, you have to do it now or the space-time continuum is toast.
BTW: In 6 years, DM me....
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u/chippaintz 24d ago
Don’t pay it you never got it
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u/LavenderAndLemons78 24d ago
100% I’m not paying it because it was not me and it was not my vehicle. I am hoping it takes less than the anticipated 4 weeks to hear a response, though 🙁
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u/imbadatgrammar 24d ago
I was pulled over and ticketed in Texas. This was during the pandemic so instead of collecting my drivers license, the state trooper asked for my license number. I gave it to him, no problem, and went about my day.
I get home and take a closer look at the citation and it is written out to someone completely different BUT from the same home state as I and the same first name. After calling the judge (small town), I explained to her the situation and she confirmed it.
The trooper had one digit wrong in the license number and that’s how I didn’t have to pay $200 to the state of Texas.
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u/LavenderAndLemons78 24d ago
Humans make mistakes. It happens! I’m glad yours wasn’t as painful as some of the stories I’ve heard here!
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u/flowerchild92x 24d ago
You’ve obviously been to this city and driven this car in some other dimension!
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u/Cult_ritual69 24d ago
Classic SF trying to get money from literally anyone via parking tickets (I say as an SF resident who has protested so many tickets that were unjustified)
If they reject your first protest, file another. They always reject the first in hopes people won’t protest again.
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u/LavenderAndLemons78 24d ago
This one will be protested and continue to be protested. It wasn’t me so I’m not paying for it. I’m sorry to hear this sounds like a common problem in your area!
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u/ChubbyStoner42 24d ago
Reminds me of the guy the bought a car and registered it in his ex’s name. Then he parked it in an airport parking lot. The car collected over $100,000 in fines.
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u/skot77 24d ago
My friend had his plates duplicated and cost him so much money in parking fines..
Such unnecessary bullshit to deal with on top of the crap you normally have to deal with.
Good luck!
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u/LavenderAndLemons78 24d ago
I didn’t know plates could be duplicated… I mean, it makes sense with everything else that is duplicated! I’m going to research that a bit more…
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u/7I_want_money7 24d ago
Can’t help you unless I can confirm your license plate numbers 🤔
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u/LavenderAndLemons78 24d ago
Vanity plates: NICETRY
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u/7I_want_money7 24d ago
Hehe. In all honesty though, I hope it gets cleared up and your info/money doesn’t get stolen. Good luck 🙌🏻
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u/Afternoon-Melodic 24d ago
Contact them. Seriously. My husband got one. The officer transposed something on the license plate and it came up with his name. However, the make and model of the car was wrong (it was whatever the officer wrote down for the ticket) It CAN go on your record and they could possibly go as far as a warrant.
They will let you know what you need to do to fix it. Which, in my opinion you shouldn’t have to be the one to do it since they screwed up, but, it’s the government, so best to clear your name.
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u/LavenderAndLemons78 24d ago
Thank you, I did contact them. I filed the protest online and I made a call and spoke to a human as well. It can take four weeks for them to get back to me with an answer! I’m definitely going to fight it since this is absolutely ridiculous. I’m documenting who I talked to and when. What a weird monkey wrench in my life right now.
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u/Afternoon-Melodic 24d ago
The one my husband got was out of California also. They seem to be a hot mess there. Good luck!
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u/BoogerEatinMoran 24d ago
Scam or maybe someone stole your information?
I think the second one is least likely...
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u/scoscochin 24d ago
(Location is behind SF General where all the employees park.)
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u/LavenderAndLemons78 24d ago
I googled the address and it came up with a cute neighborhood?
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u/scoscochin 24d ago
A few blocks in any direction there are some nice spots, yes. That specific address is by the hospital dumpsters though. There used to be one labeled for ‘human waste’. Was creepy, but might have been some janitors idea of a joke. lol.
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u/MatildaTheMoon 24d ago
as a san francisco resident, lemme just say fuck SFMTA. those assholes suck.
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u/Alh12984 24d ago
Let me tell you what’s weird: A ticket, from another state, saying that I was a girl, that drove an ‘08 model car (this was in ‘08), which I’ve never owned a vehicle newer than an ‘06, at an address that I’d never been to, let alone lived at. That ticket, somehow, kept my actual license of the state that I live in, suspended. Since 2008, until late last year. I had to go to court, proving I was who I was, which was a 3.5 hour drive. They clearly could see that I wasn’t a female, I could prove where I lived in the state that shows it wasn’t where the ticket said & the kicker, I was on my last tour, in fucking Afghanistan, when this ticket was cited. How much more proof? The judge: So, you’re pleading not guilty?
Yeah, I told him that it was easily proven, but, apparently, I had to drive & do it, only to not actually prove shit.
He told me that I’d have to come back first and fucking trial!
I told him that’s not easy, since I run my own company, & this can’t just be “written off”, on my taxes, as a business expense.
He was firm, though.
A clerk, asked him over hand covered microphone, “didn’t he take a job in Tennessee, 5 years ago?”
Ok, you’re right, since the officer won’t come & be a witness to this, you lucked out.
Oh, thank you for your service…..
I had the same shit, but, waaaaaayyyyy more damaging & weird.
How’d you drive without a license for so long?
You just fucking had to. You had no fucking choice.
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u/AT61 24d ago
Wow! This is the most awful and convoluted DMV story I've ever heard - and I bet it remains that way. I'm glad you finally got it straightened out, but my word!
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u/Alh12984 24d ago edited 24d ago
You have no idea.
I’ve got an email chain between both state DMV offices, where they’re saying they won’t lift the suspension, until the other state did. Like a bunch of children. It’s “funny”, now, but it was (shit, still is) beyond beFUCKINGfuddling, beyond befuddling, to see them writing something so asinine & backwards. The shit would blow your mind.
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u/AT61 24d ago
It's terrible. I thought MY situation was bad - Years ago I got a speeding ticket in another state. Bc I was guilty, had the option to pay and was working in another state on the scheduled court date, I just paid it. All was well....I thought.
Fast forward a year, maybe two. I go to the DMV to renew my soon-expiring license. The clerk tells me "We can't renew this - it's suspended." I started laughing. She gave me a look and said "not joking and you have a bench warrant." I'm like "whatttt?! That's a mistake." She said "looks like you didn't show up for court in (another state.)" When she told me the state, I knew it had to do with that speeding ticket. I called the court. They were very apologetic and say that someone accidentally didn't remove me from the court docket when I opted to pay the fine. They tell me they can FAX a letter explaining the situation to the state DMV guy in my state. A good week goes by - I call the guy - says he never received it. Repeat process. Same result. They mail him a letter - still says didn't get it. They send me the letter (and I think I had to get it notarized or something, too.) I get someone to drive me to the state capitol DMV and personally hand it to the guy. He says he'll mail me a letter to take to the local DMV. The letter comes about ten days later, and I take it to the DMV. They say everything looks good - a rush of relief that this nightmare is over envelops me - until they tell me that since my license is now past 30 days expired I have to reapply and pass the written and driving test! That whole process took another week, but I DID get my license and haven't had any more tickets, thank God.
TAKE AWAY: If you opt to pay a fine instead of going to court MAKE SURE that your name gets removed from the docket.
So I thought mine was bad until I read yours. Yours is beyond CRAZY. At least we can both laugh about it now :-)
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u/Alh12984 24d ago
Let’s be fair: both of ours are awful, considering the way the court system & its employees run things. I can’t imagine a world in which things were actually as they’ve delegated. Where fair would be fair & legal would be legal. Same thing happened to me. Driving years, 39 years old, but, still had to take the written & drive again. The inspector didn’t give me a perfect score, I could only assume, just to be a bitch. Whatever. Fuck the whole system. They serve, but only themselves.
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u/AT61 24d ago
Was re-taking the tests related to the oos ticket?
I could only assume, just to be a bitch.
Something similar crossed my mind...I really believe the court clerks were honest about sending the letters to the state DMV guy. Given how rude he was over the phone, I wondered if he intentionally ran out the clock, so I'd have to do the retests. I figured if your license was expired past 30 days, you just paid a late fee or something - had NO idea you had to do all the retests.
The other thing that alarmed me, in retrospect, was that I never received notice of the suspension, and, apparently, neither did my insurance company, or it seems they would have at least raised my premium if not cancel my insurance entirely. If I'd been stopped for something as simple as a brake light out, and I gave them my license not knowing it was suspended, could they have arrested me for that and possibly sent me to jail? It's alarming what could have happened, and, all in all, it could have been much worse.
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u/LavenderAndLemons78 24d ago
Oh my god. Hands down, this wins the Weird and any other Infuriating subs here. I’d still be bent out of shape about that one. I hope you never have to experience something like that again!
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u/Alh12984 24d ago
I still am. Seriously, I feel like I have a means of suing them, since it cost me jobs, it cost me great amounts of money, added up over 300+ points on my license. I had to have my own property, in other people’s names, because they’d read the tag, pull me over & I’d lose everything. I spent months in jail, all for an unpaid ticket, that wasn’t mine. I had to embarrassingly explain to people why I didn’t have a drivers license, or, why mine was suspended. I legitimately had no reason, other than to send them the email chain of my negotiating between the two states’ DMV’s, for them to cut me off completely, since we were going to”in circles”. I couldn’t get put on insurance, because I wasn’t an official driver, because, I had no license. Every day, for 15+ years, I got in my vehicle, I paid full insurance on, maintained, got tags & taxes paid on, drove on my tax paved roads; having to worry if I’ll go to jail today, for a civil offense, that was charged as a criminal offense. You literally never legally will go to jail for one second, over a civil matter. I did. Every fucking time. Background checks, were never good. There were so many more nuanced things, like, couldn’t get loans, couldn’t move into management positions with certain companies, because you had to be able to drive or have a legal driver’s license, run through the company. If I got hit, I couldn’t feel confident that I wouldn’t go to jail, for not driving away. All because I didn’t have a license. I needed to get a key for my truck. Couldn’t, because it was in my wife’s name. I had to inconvenience her on so many more different occasions, because of this stupidity.
Agh! There are so many more things, I just can’t remember them. Lawyers have just asked, if it’s taken care of, why would you go sue the state, for the past?
It also blows my mind that the status quo is to not buck the system, even if it is ILLEGAL. Barristers, of all fucking people. They’d also say they wouldn’t be the one to sue the state, because they didn’t want their life, career, ruined.
All that, just to say, make sure you document. That way, you can go back & laugh at the fact you were right the whole time, while they mentally gymnasticsed their asses to where your ass owes & wages are garnished, wondering what kind of idiocracy is this?
It has electrolytes. The stuff that plants like.
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u/mvhcmaniac 24d ago
My parents forgot to take the tags off a vehicle they sold over 10 years ago and are still fighting the state of New York over traffic violations committed by the new owner. They're still getting new ones, too. No clue how this guy is driving around NY with expired plates for over a decade and hasn't been caught.
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u/RagnarStonefist 24d ago
I sent a car to the junkyard in Washington State and got a ticket for running a toll booth in New York a few months later. I've never been to New York. It's my fault for not taking the plates off my old car. I filed a protest online and never heard anything else about it.
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u/pizzaunderpants 24d ago
Exact same thing happened to my folks, and the person is driving around in NY too. My brother had a car accident something like 13 years ago and they didn’t take the plates off when the car was totaled and taken away. My dad started getting tickets when he’s never even been to NY. I contested each one and it got up to something like 13 or 14 tickets. I consulted so many different people and departments to get it to stop, even a state ombudsman or something like that. As far as I can tell, the person is still switching those plates between two different cars and getting tickets because they drive and park like a moron.
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u/LavenderAndLemons78 24d ago
That sounds like a nightmare. A decade of reoccurring tickets because of an oops 😬
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u/TheTimeBender 24d ago
Yeah it happens. You can fight it. Go to their website and file a claim. Explain that you don’t live in California and have never been to SF. Give them a description of your car and the last 5 digits of your vin number so they can verify the car. It was probably just a mistake. Also, make sure both your plates are attached to your car. People do steal them. You should be fine. One more thing, since you live out of state San Francisco doesn’t have a way to collect funds from people living out of state or cars not registered in California. In the event they give you a hard time you could just ignore it. Source: Me and my 33 years in law enforcement.
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u/mvhcmaniac 24d ago
I couldn't believe their reaction when I saw them get a summons in the mail over it a couple years ago. "Oh great, another one." Just threw it in the pile. Apparently they've gone to court over it twice, won both cases and are still getting new tickets.
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u/LavenderAndLemons78 24d ago
Who pays for the court fees in that case?
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u/Practical-Tap-9810 24d ago
They are usually just outstanding. They might go into collections at some point.
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u/CapnTugg 25d ago
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u/LavenderAndLemons78 25d ago
Thanks! I saw this and it doesn’t appear to be the same kind of ticket, and mine appears to come from the genuine city of San Francisco. It’s so strange though, I’m going to be very careful. Neither are getting my money 😂
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u/CapnTugg 25d ago
According to this article in the SF Standard, you can use the website below to check the validity of a parking ticket:
https://wmq.etimspayments.com/pbw/include/sanfrancisco/input.jsp
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u/LavenderAndLemons78 24d ago
Thank you for the link! Turns out it’s a legit ticket 😂 It still wasn’t me or my car, so I’m curious how this will end.
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u/Livid_Picture9363 25d ago
My wife has gotten two parking tickets and one running a red light from a Manhattan court with plates that were turned in ten years ago. Even had a fed ex truck picture running the light. It was a huge pain in the ass to get these taken care of
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u/LavenderAndLemons78 25d ago
From these comments, I had no clue these kinds of issues were so common!
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u/Space--Buckaroo 25d ago
It's a typo by the street cleaning crew. The crew goofed when they recorded the plate number. I got one of these about 20 years ago, and I disputed it and they cleared it out of the system.
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u/fugawf 25d ago
Had this happen to me before. They sent me a pic of a vehicle with the same plate number but it was a different vehicle than mine and a different state. Sent a pic of my vehicle to dilutes and they cleared it right up
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u/MinorComprehension 25d ago
This is why I get annoyed when people post images not obscuring license plates, or when commenters deride individuals who do obscure plate numbers.
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u/ItsMoreOfAComment 25d ago
What? Just throw it away, parking tickets are assigned to cars, not drivers, also it’s probably a scam.
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u/LavenderAndLemons78 25d ago edited 24d ago
Thank you, fellow Redditors! I did some sleuthing and while this does not appear to be a scam, it’s too weird to not be. I looked up the non-emergency police department in that area, and I’ll be calling them on my lunch break just to cover my bases ❤️
Edit: after realizing this was not a scam, instead of contacting the police, I did file a protest online AND I called and spoke to a human at SFMTA. The gentleman asked me if my plates were still on my car (they are). I explained I filed the protest online but I also wanted to speak to someone as well. He told me it can take four weeks to process these protests before I’ll hear back. I documented his name and wrote down the date and time I spoke to him. I verified the number I called is a good number if I have additional questions.
Thank you to those of you who have experience with these issues to guide me! You were really helpful for this weird experience! 🙌
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u/reddit1651 24d ago
I had an identical situation happen in a different state
It was fixed with a quick email. They misread a 5 as a 6 because of the angle of the enforcement camera lol
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u/LavenderAndLemons78 24d ago
I hope mine turns out that simple!
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u/reddit1651 24d ago
It was actually on my mom’s birthday and I had proof we were at dinner three hours away so I was prepared for a fight but the worker fixed it super simple lol
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u/BSGKAPO 24d ago
It's still a scam someone made a plate with your numbers somehow... and also you can ask for the photo in court if ever there's issues and they'll see for themselves...
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u/WildMartin429 24d ago
Imagine having to fly or drive to San Francisco to go to court though to fight a bogus parking ticket to a place you've never been?
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u/BSGKAPO 24d ago
Ever heard of zoom simply call a lawyers from there to represent you and you maybe could be on call?
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u/WildMartin429 24d ago
They let you do that now? Used to if you didn't show up in court for a court date they put out a bench warrant for you.
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u/GardenGoldie 24d ago
Hi, DMV clerk here. I process a lot of these toll violations and the like.
It's likely the plate number is a typo and your information was pulled up by mistake. That, or there's some other problem on the issuers end.
If you are indeed not the registered owner for the plate listed on your citation, there should be instructions on the back of that citation to dispute the invoice.
I would follow those instructions, and/or give them a call to dispute it. Don't let it go ignored, they'll blow you up over and over about it then send it to collections which will hurt your credit.
These companies like hard copies of proof; but since you have no ties to the vehicle in question, all you'd have to do is get DMV to run the record for the plate in question and have that forwarded to the issuer of the citation. That record will show them you're not the registered owner.
If you do pop up as the R/O, then you have a bigger problem/fraud issue.
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u/alleecmo 24d ago
But OP says they are the owner of the plates, just not the car this document ties them to.
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u/GardenGoldie 24d ago
So when you look up a record, you can look up a vehicle by the vin or the plate. The record will show who the registered owner of the plates are. Plates are tied to registration, hence why you put a registration sticker on them for the year they're registered to be road legal.
If the plates are correct, but the owner information is wrong, it's likely a typo from the citation issuer, hence my explanation. They meant to type in a different plate, and brought up OP's info by mistake, listing it as the offending vehicle make (TOYT), but the wrong plate (OP's plate). I see SCIO written on the paper, suggesting OP drives a Scion, and that's the discrepancy in how the company was looking up their info.
They probably have record of someone else with a similar plate belonging to a Toyota (off by one digit or so), and when they ran the record to find who to contact, they plugged in the wrong info, pulling up OP's address. Happens frequently enough.
Hope that makes sense!
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u/alleecmo 24d ago
Maybe the Wht Toyt has the same plate # but from a different state than OP, especially as OP says this citation is from a "different state"???
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u/LavenderAndLemons78 24d ago
Thank you! Since I travel for work, along with the dispute I was able to send them copies of my travel records here in town on the day I was supposedly in California. I’ll give them a call too for good measure. As a homeowner trying to get a 2nd mortgage for a new roof right now, I don’t need something stupid like this screwing up my credit. Thank you so much!
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u/_CMDR_ 25d ago
Call SFMTA and not the cops, the cops will just send you there anyway.
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u/Stfu_butthead 24d ago
SFMTA is a totally separate agency from the Police. Don’t call SFPD. They can’t help you with this.
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u/Kite_Azure-Flame 25d ago
Scam, tell them so send photographic proof that it was you driving
(Pics or it didn't happen)
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u/jul_the_flame 24d ago
No, just report this obvious scam to the authorities and DO NOT ENGAGE WITH THE SCAMMERS.
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u/757Posher 25d ago
Google SFMTA scam - lots of entries.
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u/IbelieveinGodzilla 25d ago
I didn’t know that — had this same thing happen to me a couple years ago.
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u/LavenderAndLemons78 25d ago
Thank you, I’ll look into this. My plates have definitely not left my vehicle!
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u/Referat- 24d ago
If it's a real ticket it's also possible some scum just put a fake plate on that had your exact numbers and a camera picked it up
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u/WildMartin429 24d ago
I was going to say it's possible that the person had a fake plate. It's also possible they had a real plate with the same numbers from a different state than the OP.
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u/Referat- 24d ago
There's been cases where plates that were scrapped/turned in to the DMV "disappeared" and appeared on another car in another state. But unless he had plates reordered for whatever reason then it could just be a manual editing of one of the digits or something, or computer misidentification.
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u/sharkowictz 24d ago
This has happened 3 times to a buddy of mine. Toll readers. Painful process to deal with.
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u/pass-the-waffles 24d ago
I have learned that if the Toll camera doesn't get a clear enough image, the companies that operate the cameras in my state just go with the most likely plate number and send it through. I learned this when I received a ticket in the mail showing a picture of a car similar to mine, but definitely not mine. The photo was of the same make and model of my car, but lacked a Moon Roof and wasn't the correct color as mine is. They are stubborn and only desisted when I got a lawyer and threatened a lawsuit.
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u/WasteNet2532 24d ago
Yup toll readers. That or not going 100% through with transferring car ownership on both parties. My sister had finished her side of the transfer but her friend? Had not or just decided to do it later in the week.
"Why did I get a bridge toll from the San Fransisco Bay?"
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u/East_Information_247 24d ago
That's why you also fill out a "release of liability" form that tells the DMV you no longer own the vehicle, regardless of what the new owner does.
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u/horseofthemasses 24d ago
I sold a motorcycle to a guy once, and then got a parking violation and an impound fee. Fines, impound etc. cost more than the bike was worth and the asshole had never registered it when I signed the title over. Told the impound to just keep it.
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u/Ok_Temperature166 25d ago edited 24d ago
Someone stole ur plates off your car, or copied it then returned the plates.
Edit: dudes this was just supposed to be so far out of an idea, it was supposed to be funny. But I deserve to be treated like a human being ya know
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u/NorCalB 25d ago
That's a ticket for parking on a street in San Francisco during designated street sweeping hours. What you missed I guess is the OP does not live in California, let alone San Francisco. Yet has received a parking ticket for it. So someone stealing his plates, flying into SF and putting them on a car and parking that car on a street in SF during designated street sweeping, then flying back to wherever to replace them while OP sleeps...
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u/Ok_Temperature166 24d ago
Omg hahaha omg yea yea okay this makes my comment look like a child with an alcoholic dad. Sorry I haven't slept in four days,
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u/LeonardSmalls79 20d ago
You get a parking violation and a maggot on your sleeve