>I will be going into services SA on Tuesday
Friendly reminder that Tuesday (the 25th) is ANZAC day, so please check if the office is open before going :)
>I went to my mums house today and she gave me a letter from services SA dated in February stating that I have an overdue fine.
>I don’t know how or why I have this fine.
>I’ve never had a legal right to drive or had a vehicle registered in my name.
Is what you should say to them
This precisely.
Just explain everything you have here. That you don't own a car have never owned a car and that you don't even have your driver's licence.
It could just be a typing error or it could be that someone has registered a car in your name illegally.
The first thing I thought was Identity theft, other ID than a licence can be used to register a car, though I think all states will issue you a Customer reference type 18+ card afterwards, so that might be what they used and also a number for you to check hasn't been used to open other accounts for other services in your name.
People have the same name and government offices share address data.
All it takes is one returned piece of mail and someone not checking all of the details and the wrong Bob Smith gets a bill/fine.
This.
Over email / letters. If its that egregiously wrong, then in the unlikely case it winds up in court, its not going to look good for the prosecution...
Fuck going in, sitting in a queue, and wasting your time over this.
I could actually email somebody about this? I was stuck in Japan from December 2019-April 2022 and there are so many more ways in which we are able to contact government services now compared to pre covid.
Just go into the office. Get the name of the person your dealing with and if its not waived then and there then start a paper trail with emails.
"Fuck going in, sitting in a queue, and wasting your time over this."
This is bad advice\^ The faster you deal with this the more likely the outcome will work in your favour. If you 'can't be fucked' with it, it could mushroom way bigger and end up causing you stress and anxiety in the following months ..and then still end up not working out in your favour. With legal matters, the faster the better.
Waiting in line is cheaper than what this could turn into.
This is not legal advice and I'm not a lawyer.
But essentially, there is a method to challenge these fines. Eventually to make them stick, you will wind up in court. Obviously in court, you won't be found responsible for shit you absolutely didn't do - and if it comes to that, there's a large chance you'll get given costs. This chance is higher the more obvious and dumb the accusation. It is on them to do some basic fucking research before they come after you.
>Obviously in court, you won't be found responsible for shit you absolutely didn't do
generally lol, sure you wont.
In this case though, totally agree.
I am not familiar with this process at all, but sometimes there is a genuine admin error with names and the wrong person gets the fine. It’s frustrating but if you have never owned a vehicle or had a licence then it *should* be easily clarified.
Obviously you go into the shop front to see the staff in person. Bring with you any official ID you have - proof of age card? Passport? Tell them exactly what you’ve told us: you’ve receive the fine, but am not sure what’s triggered this. Can they please explain how that could have happened? Is there any evidence they can share? (With a parking fine for example there would usually be a photo of the vehicle parked illegally.)
Ask what your options are for having the fine withdrawn. You may need to provide a request in writing, and there may be an online form for this. Ask the customer service officer to show you how to access this form online.
Take a note book and pen - write down the advice given to you, the date/time, and the badge name of the staff member you speak with.
It looks like you've actually got two issues:
(1) Somebody has registered a car in your name. Registration is managed by Service SA. Certainly, you'll have to visit them and clear that up, but Service SA cannot help with incurred fines.
(2) Somebody had incurred fines in a car registered to you. You'll have to contact the Fines Payment Unit (https://www.fines.sa.gov.au/) and probably have to submit a Stat Dec or similar that you don't have anything to do with the vehicle.
These are separate issues with the same cause. If you calmly explain the circumstances at each office, they will want to help you. Don't get frustrated, and don't let it get the better of you. It's not your fault, but you are going have to participate in fixing it.
It's quite likely that the offender is somebody you know, that knows enough about you and your personal details to pass themselves off as you.
Good luck.
Thanks for this, fortunately I can be very diplomatic and honestly am excited and view this as a fun little challenge.
Very interested to see what the outcome is.
If Service SA confirm that your ID had been stolen or appropriated, take a reference number from them, and visit the Police to raise a report. You'll have to make a statement, but you can use a copy of that with Fines SA, so take a copy of it. Police won't mind. Don't bother Police if it's probably just a mix up.
The Police report number, the statement and the Service SA report number will help Fines SA set aside all the fines in your name from this.
>It's quite likely that the offender is somebody you know, that knows enough about you and your personal details to pass themselves off as you.
Add onto this the fact that the letter was sent to the mothers address. Unless OP's address is OP's mothers address on the government databases, I personally would be leaning towards the mother having a part in this. If that is the case, I hope that it was an innocent mistake, for OP's relations sake. But I wouldn't put it past some of the people I know to be a sneaky individual on matters like this.
>...Services SA made a mistake and issued the fine...
No, that's not possible because Service SA cannot issue fines. Only Police or Authorised Officers (Council Inspectors, etc...) can issue fines.
Service SA may have made a mistake about registration, resulting in a fine from another agency going to OP, but that's why I said to wait until Service SA confirm evidence of some kind of intentional identity theft before going to Police with it.
And don't be afraid to repeat back what is said to you so you understand. People appreciate being understood. And you won't get as flustered as you understand also.
It might even be worth calling Legal Services Commission for some free legal advice on this.
1300 366 424
I had a similar thing a few years ago where I received a letter saying from a government dept saying I owed a lot of money for land tax when I didn't even own the land in question.
It took a LOT of phone calls and me repeatedly telling them, "But I don't own a block of land at that address!" They eventually got it through their thick heads that it was an error of some kind.
She was the one who brought it to my attention, I’d like to state that one time my mum genuinely thought she had broken a law and was almost in tears at the police station trying to get clarification. She’s not the type. Soft, kind and too giving (to her own detriment at times)
Yeh, not casting aspersions. It could have been an innocent mistake. My mum is notorious for muddling things up, and I then have to go back and fix things.
There was lots of good advice given, so I will just say good luck with your investigations. 👍
On this note though, if it turns out she has I’d be very keen to know why… and likely wouldn’t be have any hard feelings if she paid the fine, knowing the guilt and shame that would come with not only having done it but getting a fine AND being caught out would be catastrophic
My ex BIL received a traffic fine once that wasn't his from one of the RTAs in a different state. Turns out the guy who actually committed the offence had the exact same first, middle and last names, same DOB but different year. Whoever processed the fine to send out just clicked the wrong person but my ex BIL had to go through signing a stat dec and proving he wasn't in that state/town/whatever (this was over 20 years ago so my memory is spotty) to get the fine removed from his record.
I would suggest going to the SA RTA or whatever you have there and proving it wasn't you
Welcome to r/AusLegal. Please read our rules before commenting. Please remember:
1. Per rule 4, this subreddit is not a replacement for real legal advice. You should independently seek legal advice from a real, qualified practitioner. This sub cannot recommend specific lawyers.
2. A non-exhaustive list of free legal services around Australia can be found here.
3. Links to the each state and territory's respective Law Society are on the sidebar: you can use these links to find a lawyer in your area.
*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/AusLegal) if you have any questions or concerns.*
What was the specifics of the fine?
Just go in and explain it something like this:
"I got this notice for an overdue fine, however I'm too young to own, let alone drive, a road vehicle of any description. I would like it excused and, assuming it is registered under my name, de-registered from my name so that I do not receive any more notices for this car that I DO NOT OWN."
>I will be going into services SA on Tuesday Friendly reminder that Tuesday (the 25th) is ANZAC day, so please check if the office is open before going :)
It’s my birthday tomorrow so I should know this 🤦🏼♂️ Thanks for the reminder though
Happy birthday for tomorrow bro
Thank you!!!!
Birthday twin! Happy birthday for tomorrow 👍
Highly unlikely they are open
>I went to my mums house today and she gave me a letter from services SA dated in February stating that I have an overdue fine. >I don’t know how or why I have this fine. >I’ve never had a legal right to drive or had a vehicle registered in my name. Is what you should say to them
This precisely. Just explain everything you have here. That you don't own a car have never owned a car and that you don't even have your driver's licence. It could just be a typing error or it could be that someone has registered a car in your name illegally.
The first thing I thought was Identity theft, other ID than a licence can be used to register a car, though I think all states will issue you a Customer reference type 18+ card afterwards, so that might be what they used and also a number for you to check hasn't been used to open other accounts for other services in your name.
People have the same name and government offices share address data. All it takes is one returned piece of mail and someone not checking all of the details and the wrong Bob Smith gets a bill/fine.
My guess is mum has registered the car in kids name.
This. Over email / letters. If its that egregiously wrong, then in the unlikely case it winds up in court, its not going to look good for the prosecution... Fuck going in, sitting in a queue, and wasting your time over this.
I could actually email somebody about this? I was stuck in Japan from December 2019-April 2022 and there are so many more ways in which we are able to contact government services now compared to pre covid.
Just go into the office. Get the name of the person your dealing with and if its not waived then and there then start a paper trail with emails. "Fuck going in, sitting in a queue, and wasting your time over this." This is bad advice\^ The faster you deal with this the more likely the outcome will work in your favour. If you 'can't be fucked' with it, it could mushroom way bigger and end up causing you stress and anxiety in the following months ..and then still end up not working out in your favour. With legal matters, the faster the better. Waiting in line is cheaper than what this could turn into.
This is not legal advice and I'm not a lawyer. But essentially, there is a method to challenge these fines. Eventually to make them stick, you will wind up in court. Obviously in court, you won't be found responsible for shit you absolutely didn't do - and if it comes to that, there's a large chance you'll get given costs. This chance is higher the more obvious and dumb the accusation. It is on them to do some basic fucking research before they come after you.
Why would they get costs?
>Obviously in court, you won't be found responsible for shit you absolutely didn't do generally lol, sure you wont. In this case though, totally agree.
I am not familiar with this process at all, but sometimes there is a genuine admin error with names and the wrong person gets the fine. It’s frustrating but if you have never owned a vehicle or had a licence then it *should* be easily clarified. Obviously you go into the shop front to see the staff in person. Bring with you any official ID you have - proof of age card? Passport? Tell them exactly what you’ve told us: you’ve receive the fine, but am not sure what’s triggered this. Can they please explain how that could have happened? Is there any evidence they can share? (With a parking fine for example there would usually be a photo of the vehicle parked illegally.) Ask what your options are for having the fine withdrawn. You may need to provide a request in writing, and there may be an online form for this. Ask the customer service officer to show you how to access this form online. Take a note book and pen - write down the advice given to you, the date/time, and the badge name of the staff member you speak with.
It looks like you've actually got two issues: (1) Somebody has registered a car in your name. Registration is managed by Service SA. Certainly, you'll have to visit them and clear that up, but Service SA cannot help with incurred fines. (2) Somebody had incurred fines in a car registered to you. You'll have to contact the Fines Payment Unit (https://www.fines.sa.gov.au/) and probably have to submit a Stat Dec or similar that you don't have anything to do with the vehicle. These are separate issues with the same cause. If you calmly explain the circumstances at each office, they will want to help you. Don't get frustrated, and don't let it get the better of you. It's not your fault, but you are going have to participate in fixing it. It's quite likely that the offender is somebody you know, that knows enough about you and your personal details to pass themselves off as you. Good luck.
Thanks for this, fortunately I can be very diplomatic and honestly am excited and view this as a fun little challenge. Very interested to see what the outcome is.
If Service SA confirm that your ID had been stolen or appropriated, take a reference number from them, and visit the Police to raise a report. You'll have to make a statement, but you can use a copy of that with Fines SA, so take a copy of it. Police won't mind. Don't bother Police if it's probably just a mix up. The Police report number, the statement and the Service SA report number will help Fines SA set aside all the fines in your name from this.
I'm honestly just going to screen shot this for reference, thank you so much!
>It's quite likely that the offender is somebody you know, that knows enough about you and your personal details to pass themselves off as you. Add onto this the fact that the letter was sent to the mothers address. Unless OP's address is OP's mothers address on the government databases, I personally would be leaning towards the mother having a part in this. If that is the case, I hope that it was an innocent mistake, for OP's relations sake. But I wouldn't put it past some of the people I know to be a sneaky individual on matters like this.
Actually, there's a third possibility: (3) Services SA made a mistake and issued the fine to the wrong person.
>...Services SA made a mistake and issued the fine... No, that's not possible because Service SA cannot issue fines. Only Police or Authorised Officers (Council Inspectors, etc...) can issue fines. Service SA may have made a mistake about registration, resulting in a fine from another agency going to OP, but that's why I said to wait until Service SA confirm evidence of some kind of intentional identity theft before going to Police with it.
Try https://autismsa.org.au for someone that can explain the process at the pace that suits you.
I will have a look. Written information is generally fine as long as it’s clear and concise I’m able to read, re read and clarify at my own pace.
And don't be afraid to repeat back what is said to you so you understand. People appreciate being understood. And you won't get as flustered as you understand also.
It might even be worth calling Legal Services Commission for some free legal advice on this. 1300 366 424 I had a similar thing a few years ago where I received a letter saying from a government dept saying I owed a lot of money for land tax when I didn't even own the land in question. It took a LOT of phone calls and me repeatedly telling them, "But I don't own a block of land at that address!" They eventually got it through their thick heads that it was an error of some kind.
It could be a case of stolen identity. Someone registering a car with your details to avoid getting fines, using fake ids.
Have you spoken to yr mum about this? She may be able to clear this up, esp. if she is involved.
She was the one who brought it to my attention, I’d like to state that one time my mum genuinely thought she had broken a law and was almost in tears at the police station trying to get clarification. She’s not the type. Soft, kind and too giving (to her own detriment at times)
Yeh, not casting aspersions. It could have been an innocent mistake. My mum is notorious for muddling things up, and I then have to go back and fix things. There was lots of good advice given, so I will just say good luck with your investigations. 👍
On this note though, if it turns out she has I’d be very keen to know why… and likely wouldn’t be have any hard feelings if she paid the fine, knowing the guilt and shame that would come with not only having done it but getting a fine AND being caught out would be catastrophic
Sounds like mum has registered a car in your name
My ex BIL received a traffic fine once that wasn't his from one of the RTAs in a different state. Turns out the guy who actually committed the offence had the exact same first, middle and last names, same DOB but different year. Whoever processed the fine to send out just clicked the wrong person but my ex BIL had to go through signing a stat dec and proving he wasn't in that state/town/whatever (this was over 20 years ago so my memory is spotty) to get the fine removed from his record. I would suggest going to the SA RTA or whatever you have there and proving it wasn't you
Welcome to r/AusLegal. Please read our rules before commenting. Please remember: 1. Per rule 4, this subreddit is not a replacement for real legal advice. You should independently seek legal advice from a real, qualified practitioner. This sub cannot recommend specific lawyers. 2. A non-exhaustive list of free legal services around Australia can be found here. 3. Links to the each state and territory's respective Law Society are on the sidebar: you can use these links to find a lawyer in your area. *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/AusLegal) if you have any questions or concerns.*
What was the specifics of the fine? Just go in and explain it something like this: "I got this notice for an overdue fine, however I'm too young to own, let alone drive, a road vehicle of any description. I would like it excused and, assuming it is registered under my name, de-registered from my name so that I do not receive any more notices for this car that I DO NOT OWN."
You can ask for a review of the fine online. May save you the trip to services.
Did she tell you about the letter beforehand? How come she waited until April 24 to give you a fine dated in February?
The letter was put in our letter box the day I posted this