Parking Violation Ticket - same plate but wrong car

[BisDak]

So surprise to open my mail that I received a parking violation ticket reminder from the city of Huntington Beach. States that my car was parked illegally for street sweeping.

All the information as to the make of the vehicle, VIN and color shows that it is not my vehicle. I was in Redwood City with the car on the said date. About 400 miles away!

This would be nerve racking if somebody is using my plate illegally! I am hoping that the meter mate just made a mistake.

Is this a common mistake?

[Jonathan Doe]

I received a toll evading ticket for Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco. I was working in east LA that day. I called the agency and took care of the problem.

[Ron-Solo]

Call the issuing agency. I had that happen with a City of LA parking ticket on a car I traded in and kept the personalized plate. When they ran the VIN on the old plate, it still listed the old plate in the record, so they entered the plate on the cite, which came to my new car. They took care of it no problem.

Sometimes they transpose a number when writing the cite, which is why a description is also written.

[Notorious]

I got a cite on a motorcycle I sold way after the date I sold it and sent in the release of liability. The new owner never registered it so the plate still came back to me, I guess. Anyway, after a few calls and some argument, they took care of it, I am guessing because I never got any more notices. I told them I didn't care, come and tow the bike or don't renew the reg, and they just left me alone.

[xmustanguyx]

DMV and their release of liability. I always send in the form and complete the online one. They usually send me a notice after the person I sell my car to doesn't register it nagging about expired tags.

[wrestlingnrj]

Just call them and they can take care of it. A few years ago the same thing happened for my brother. He was sent 5 HOV tickets in 4 weeks from the Bay area. His car had never been North of OC. They screwed up on one letter of the license plate and the black SUV didn't look at all like my brother's silver Subaru.

[c20rj]

Do you have both plates? Years ago I got a visit from huntington beach p.d about a robbery in h.b. It seems the perps had used my front plate offf my truck in the crime. After some conversation, they realized it was not me. I had to go to DMV for new plates. I never had a front plate installed, it used to live behind the seat. To this day I cannot figure out how someone got ahold of it.

[BisDak]

Thanks for the input. Will call the issuing agency Monday. Both plates are intact.