Don’t Pay This Ticket: Fraudulent Citations Circulating, Police Say

If you’ve received a parking ticket in San Diego recently, it may be a good idea to take a closer look at your citation — police are warning motorists of fraudulent tickets that have appeared on vehicles in the city.

At first glance, the “tickets” may appear authentic: yellow sheets of carbonless copy paper with the words “Parking Violation Notice” emblazoned on top, according to a photo shared Tuesday by San Diego police on Instagram.

The ticketer appears to write various pieces of relevant information (license plate number, date of the violation, etc.) on the ticket and marks down a violation with an associated cost — as much as $452.50.

A fraudulent ticket that was placed on a vehicle recently

in San Diego. San Diego Police Department

The photo shared by San Diego police was of a ticket at 11 p.m. Friday on Park Boulevard.

However, instead of directing the vehicle owner to a city website to pay the fine, the ticket directs people to make contributions to the San Diego Police Foundation, the California Transportation Foundation, the San Diego Regional Fire Foundation or California Walks.

The San Diego Police Department said it has been made aware of the tickets and, in its Instagram post, strongly advised people who received one to not submit funds to the organizations listed.

“Please be aware,” the department wrote in all capital letters in its Instagram post, “the San Diego Police Department will never ask for a monetary donation in lieu of a parking citation.”

The incident prompted the San Diego Police Foundation to issue its own, allcaps advisory on X.

“Fraudulent parking tickets! We did not initiate this solicitation,” the department wrote.

The foundation repeated the Police Department’s statement that it would never ask for a donation instead of a fine.

Written by Christian Martinez | December 19, 2024 | San Diego Union-Tribune

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