I Received a Parking Ticket That's Not Mine

January 13, 2009 by TFB

Right before Christmas I received an overdue parking ticket in the mail. It has my name and license plate but it's really not mine. I have never been to the location noted on the ticket. The vehicle description has the right make but the wrong color. Why did they think it was my car? I'm thinking they must have written down the wrong license plate number. Whoever got the ticket on the windshield just threw away the ticket after they saw the wrong  plate number. I wrote a letter to dispute it. I had to send it by certified mail which cost me $3. How do I prove I wasn't at that spot at that time? They must have heard that story many times. Except this time it's really not me. Guilty until proven innocent? Let's see how it goes.

Has this happened to you? Any guess on my chance of convincing them?

Software picked, likely related posts:

Keywords:
Filed under: Spending | Leave a comment

Comments

7 Comments on I Received a Parking Ticket That's Not Mine

  1. Wm Tanksley on January 13, 2009 | permalink
    2.  

    Tough one. I'd guess you've got a very good case, since they got your car's color wrong; that shouldn't be possible with a parking violation.

    I've seen news about a "prank" people play on their enemies by printing someone else's license number onto a reflective sheet and taping that over their license plate, then speeding past one of those automatic speeding cameras. But this can't be how it happened, since this was a parking violation.

  2. Ted on January 13, 2009 | permalink
    3.  

    Since the color is wrong, send a photo of your car with the plate visible. That should be evidence enough to get the ticket thrown out.

  3. Dawn on January 13, 2009 | permalink
    4.  

    I had this happen to me in the state of New York — I contested it (like you did, with a letter, although I didn't bother with the certified mail), and there were no problems. They immediately dropped the fine/violation.

  4. Amber Jones on January 13, 2009 | permalink
    5.  

    Wow what a bummer. I hope that you are able to get this taken care of in your favor. It really sucks to be stuck in this sort of situation.

  5. usrules on January 13, 2009 | permalink
    6.  

    It should be easy to have it dismissed if the color is wrong. Your registration should have the color noted on it so send a copy. I had a ticket dismissed on technical grounds for such an inaccuracy in NY.

  6. john on January 14, 2009 | permalink
    7.  

    In California parking citations also have a box for the last 4 numbers of the VIN. The issuing officer is suppossed to look at the VIN on the dash and put in the last 4 numbers. This was put into law due to so many incorrect lic. plates being put on the cites.

    When your "case" is reviewed the reviewer simply compares the lic. # to the last 4 VIN #'s. If they do not match the case is dismissed.

    As a reviewer I run into cases like yours often. If I get a letter that remotely makes sense I dismiss. If the color is way off you should be ok. If you live far away that also helps. Good luck.

  7. TFB on January 14, 2009 | permalink
    8.  

    Thank you all for the comments and suggestions. It sounds like I have a good chance of getting this dismissed. The color is off, but not way off. The ticket says black; my car is blue. I asked in my letter for a copy of the ticket written by the parking enforcement officer. Maybe they just transcribed it wrong into the computer.

Tell me what you're thinking, but please don't spam. See comments moderation policy.