deanojellybeano

I've been back from Italy for 3 months and today recieved a certified letter that looks to be a speeding ticket. It is in Italian, English, German and French. The English translation is very difficult to understand. It reminds me of the Nigerian money scams. Is this for real? I was not pulled over at any time and I don't recall seeing a camera trap. What happens if I don't pay it? Has anyone else had this happen? Please help. Thanks.

Neopolitan

Yes, it is quite possible it is real. There are cameras for speeding and tickets can be sent as a result. But take a look. Who is it from? Assuming you rented a car, is it from the car agency which is who would have had to supply your personal information when their car was caught on camera? Where are you to send the money and how? Check out the address to see if it is official.

LJ

We were stopped for a traffic violation in Italy and received a ticket on the spot: it was written in Italian only-no English and required payment in our local stazione (we were resident in Italy) within 1 month-I suppose it is possible that they have some sort of International division but I hav never heard of it...

MaureenB

That's really interesting. Sounds pretty fishy. It's a good idea to ask your rental agency. Please report back what you find out about it. Good luck.

deanojellybeano

The "ticket" is not from the car rental company. There is a bank number to wire the money to. Also, no photo was sent.

PalQ

Well of course i would just ignore it - they going to come looking for you? But if you're going back to Italy sometime i guess they could nab you at customs - easily done with computerized passports it seems.
I'd call the Italian Embassy or Consulate in the U.S. and ask about this.

Dukey

I agree with Neo. There is no way the authorities could possibly know where to send a camera-generated citation unless they contacted the rental agency.

Unless someone ELSE contacted the rental agency or knew you were driving a car in Italy..if it is a scam then it is pretty clever and obviously a lot more sophistocated than any of those "I'm the former financial planner for Nigeria and having recently fled into the jungles where my mother died and left you a fortune...things we see.

Of course you don't recall "seeing a camera"...that's the point.

I would think 'what happens if i don't pay it" depends on who sent it. If it were from the rental agency I'm surprised they haven't charged your CC already!

Nobody ever "speeds"..people just get caught doing something similar. How they respond speaks volumes.

LJ

That bank wire transfer number could be a tip-off to something fishy: you have to go to a police station or a post office in Italy to pay tickets, not banks...

Neopolitan

Wire money to a bank account? No way. I'd ignore it. If you hear again, then contact the car agency in Europe and check it out from them. But frankly the most logical person to have tracked you down is some employee of the car agency itself who had those details and has a special bank account set up for lining his pockets.

ira

Hi D,

You can get a speeding ticket in the mail.

I think that the one you got, however, is a clever scam.

>The English translation is very difficult to understand. <

It's likely that the other languages are just as bad.

>There is a bank number to wire the money to.<

That sounds odd.

I suggest calling the car rental agency to find out if they received a citation.

suze

I know in Switzerland that is how traffic tickets are given out... they take the picture and send it to your home. The cameras are in boxes at the side of the road.

bettyk

We received a letter from Avis about 2 months ago telling us that we had been caught speeding during our trip to Germany. They gave the exact date and location of the infringement. They told us that they had provided our name and address to the German authorities who would be sending us a ticket.

However, we have still not received any ticket. When we do, I am inclined NOT to pay it as we don't plan to return to Germany anytime in the near future.

mnapoli

We received a speeding ticket from Italy in 1985...we never paid it. We have returned to Italy 5 times since then and have never had any trouble travelling or renting a car.

Big_Red

I don't have any personal experience with this.

Assuming that you used a credit card, I think the rental companies normally go thru your credit card company (the same route that they would take if the fuel tank was 1.9 gallons under full).

I recommend that you ask the rental car company. I am sure that they know if you still owe them some money.

xyz123

Ignore it...even if it is legitemate there is very little they can do about it anyway.

Robespierre

Yeah - never take responsibility for your actions if at all possible. And pass that on to your offspring. There aren't nearly enough cheats in the world as it is.

Brian_in_Charlotte

Well, if no photo was sent, I'd feel no obligation to pay even if I thought it was legit. They'd have have to provide some evidence that I was actually driving the car at the time.

xyz123

Look..I understand other countries do not have the protections built into American law but one thing I resent with the whole traffic infraction system in the USA and apparently in Italy is the assumption is a person is guilty when they walk into "court"..the principle a person is innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt does not apply in US traffic courts as the system is used basically to raise revenue...what proof is there the equipment was working properly? It seems to me the person is being deprived of the right to contest this.....that is why I would ignore such a travesty..let them come after me and then give me my day in court....they, assuming this "ticket" is legit are guilty of depriving the person of the right to contest what could be a trumped up charge...it happens all the time in NYC where the police are under orders to issue a certain number of tickets and it doesn't really matter if the person is innocent and it has happened to me that I got a summons for passing a red light when the officer was in a position where he could not see the color of the light facing me..I brought in pictures to prove that...the officer lied and committed perjury when he signed the summons that he had personally observed the violation when it was shown he could not possibly see the light he claims I passed..he assumed because of the light he was facing that the light facing me was red but that is not personally observing the violation..but the city of new york is so hard up for revenue and the so called judge is a hearing officer whose salary is based on the number of convictions he hands out that it doesn't matter if the person is innocent. Guilty, guilty, guilty is all you hear.

Let them prove I was speeding would be my attitude.

TuckH

http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=34646854

nytraveler

I agree it sounds bogus. If a camera caught you speeding the police would contact the car rental company who would let you know.

And the return address would have something to do with the Italian government - no wiring to a blank bank account.

To satisfy my curiosity I would contact the car rental agency. But I woldn;t pay unless I were positive it was legitimate - in which case I would. (In 1985 they didn't have computer systems to track anything. Now if you try to go back and rent from the same company they might either turn you down or charge you for the ticket.)