Brooklyn, NY – New Scheme to Beat Parking Tickets Has Drivers Sharing Muni-Meter Receipts

    62

    receipts in a box found at BP lumber in Borough ParkBrooklyn, NY – Drivers in New York City have come up with a new scheme to try to avoid paying their parking tickets – collecting and sharing used Muni-Meter receipts.

    Join our WhatsApp group

    Subscribe to our Daily Roundup Email


    The scam has motorists with outstanding parking violations rummaging through a box of receipts until they find one with a date and time corresponding to those on their tickets. In an effort to defraud the City, drivers then fraudulently allege that they did, in fact, purchase a Muni-Meter receipt, and submit the receipt as evidence to counter their parking summons. Receipts displaying remaining time are also among those being distributed.

    The Daily News reports (http://nydn.us/THMn3E) that one such box of receipts was discovered at the Boro Park Lumber & Home Center at 4601 New Utrecht Avenue. But the store manager insisted the box, labeled “gemach” or “free loan”, was not an internal initiative. “Somebody outside the store did it. We are not involved in it,” he said.

    One store employee said visitors come to the store regularly seeking receipts. “People come in here all the time to check it out,” he said.

    A total of 9,012,854 parking tickets were issued in fiscal year 2012, bringing in $513 million in fines into City coffers. “No one can dispute the fact that our city is ticket-happy,” remarked Councilman James Vacca (D-Bronx) who chairs the Transportation Committee. “But fraudulently helping people fight tickets when they are actually guilty is over the top.”

    The Departments of Finance and Transportation declined to comment.


    Listen to the VINnews podcast on:

    iTunes | Spotify | Google Podcasts | Stitcher | Podbean | Amazon

    Follow VINnews for Breaking News Updates


    Connect with VINnews

    Join our WhatsApp group


    62 Comments
    Most Voted
    Newest Oldest
    Inline Feedbacks
    View all comments
    11 years ago

    so is there anything wrong with that? mike has enough billions already

    11 years ago

    The city WANTS to issue tickets as a revenue booster, obviously. If it was about traffic flow or other civic good, they would let you add time on your meter via cell phone apps instead of catching you.

    This news story is a chillul Hashem, as it deepens the “cheap Jews” steriotypes. On the other hand, don’t kid yourself that people who have “just gotten a parking ticket”, don’t try to look at nearby cars with the “right ticket”, hanging around until the driver returns and no longer needs the ticket that will be tossed out (unless the driver collects these as receipts for work expenses…)

    ChareidiMan
    ChareidiMan
    11 years ago

    If you ever wondered if our community is full of Government rats, wonder no more! Raboisia, i have mentioned it on VIN before, there are hundreds of frum yingeliet (leider) that work for the government and live for ratting on people and expose frum jews to the government and the media.

    You did not hear the last of this story and the Rosenbergs are for sure to get a visit by officials.

    You cannot trust anyone but your own shaddow, there are hundreds in our community that work for the government and are constantly wired.

    I have a friend that is in the system right now, he was wire tapped by a “good friend”

    Hi’zuar V’hishumer

    british
    Active Member
    british
    11 years ago

    in UK you are required to enter your license plate when getting your muni meter receipt.

    sylmoss
    sylmoss
    11 years ago

    When meter people stand waiting for the second they can ‘finally’ ticket a car – often, while the owner is approaching, huffing and puffing this behavior is not so unfounded.
    It’s a “gotcha” city and it simply evokes a “gotcha back” attitude.
    A year ago I forgot where I parked my car, it was in a busy area so I clicked the clicker over and over until I finally found the car.
    As I approached I saw the meter person writing my ticket. He heard the short beeps and saw the lights flicker .. He did not have to ticket me cause it was obvious I was approaching – but with “gotcha” training he could care less – I don’t blame people for trying to avoid being robbed. I watched a car get a double parking summons while I was vacating a spot that he was glad to find. It was unbelievable!!! He absolutely was not double parking – while driving down the Avenue he noticed me getting into the drivers side and pulled up alongside my car happy to have found a legal spot and what did he get a “double park ticket”!!! Why expect citizens to give a darn about a city that eats their hard earned bucks. New York is not a kind city — It is ticket city!!!!

    monalisa
    monalisa
    11 years ago

    How about if you leave before the time is up, you give your ticket to the next person who takes your spot? That is a nice thing to do.

    UseYourHead
    UseYourHead
    11 years ago

    This is Chillul Hashem of the highest order, and is the diametric opposite of Yashrus – if not outright geneivah. Just this past Shabbos we read the Torah’s detailed description of how Avraham interacted with Efron when negotiating the purchase of a burial plot for Sarah. Avraham bent over backwards to be sure that Efron got not a penny less than he wanted for the field, even though Avraham could certainly have “done better for himself”. Because Avraham saw himself as a representative of Hashem, and acted accordingly. Do you think Avraham – the pillar of Chessed – would approve of such a “Gemach”?! Feh! Woe unto Avraham’s progeny that they have fallen so far.

    11 years ago

    Look. Every munimeter has a number/address. when he/she tries to fight the ticket with his/her gemach receipt all the judge (?) needs to do is ask the ticket holder “which meter did you use”?
    The meter may be twomiles down the road

    eigner
    eigner
    11 years ago

    Reply to number 1.

    Yes, there’s EVERYTHING wrong with this!
    It’s a tremendous chilul Hashem. And against the law. Dine demalchuse dine

    OyGevald
    OyGevald
    11 years ago

    I even bought one from a the car’s driver in front of me when I got a ticket. That driver was happy to get $5.00 for the the now expired meter receipt but which was valid at the time my ticket was issued.
    These ideas can be found online at several sites to “survive parking in NYC”.

    ChachoMoe
    ChachoMoe
    11 years ago

    ” in a new scam to help scofflaws trick the cash-strapped city.” (Daily News)

    Oh, like all the ticketing blitzes this city provides is so kosher, there are hundreds of NY citizens who just get slapped with all kinds of fines, whether guilty or not, they don’t have the time or money to fight it, they just pay it, and Bloomy just rakes in millions a day. And the Traffic Cop is pretty much aware of that fact, all they are concerned is filling in their quotes!

    Ticketing have simply become part of a revenue NOT to discourage traffic violations.

    Towing someone’s vehicle for just 2 fines and late fees are neither nothing short of a “scam”. Yes, if its the “city” committing it then its all fine, but the average hard working citizen has to be tormented by the DOT.

    *just wondering* who was the Chacom to go publicize this story to the press, and who’s this Reuven Blau?

    11 years ago

    Hopefully, the owners of this store will find themselves with some heavy duty litigation expenses defending their knowingly aiding this type of fraud. Everyone gets parking tickets from time to time and 99 percent of us pay those tickets. We also seem to end up paying for the one percent who always seem to be looking to scam the system. Making an example of the owners of the BP Lumber Store will at least make other business owners think twice about either directly or indirectly encouraging such fraud.

    apdsvys
    apdsvys
    11 years ago

    I’m not addressing the act of one using a reciept from this ‘gemach’ to contest a ticket.

    I’m talking about the mere fact of having such a ‘gemach’ box and people coming to deposit used reciepts and others coming in and taking out a reciept.
    what exactly is illegal about that?
    Is there a law that says that a used muni reciept is muktzeh?

    chayamom
    chayamom
    11 years ago

    government has been squeezing us for every penny they can. people are trying to hold onto what they can. the muni meter was installed in part so that no money can be added without losing the time you still might have. as long as you have the “law” behind you its okay.
    I just hate that this story is made public.

    DovidTheK
    DovidTheK
    11 years ago

    There is another scam, but this one is totally legal from what I have heard. You find a meter in a neighborhood outside of Manhattan where you can park for many hours for acheaper price, you pay the meter there and get the receipt, then you drive to Manhattan and use the remaining time on the receipt to park in Manhattan even if it is only an hour max meter you can still get as many hours as it says on the receipt.

    Wise-Guy
    Wise-Guy
    11 years ago

    I’m not condoning this fraud, but just to be clear I want to mention that over the years I have received numerous parking-tickets. Some I truly deserved, but some were outrageously unfair.
    (i.e. I once blocked a neighbor’s driveway with permission, and got a ticket.
    This neighbor wrote an affidavit on my behalf that I parked there with his consent and he supplied his owner’s water bill as proof that it’s his property.
    I then appealed the ticket and sent the documents as evidence. The verdict was “Guilty … insufficient evidence”!
    To further appeal I would have to kill at least half a day (during business hours) by going to court.)

    I don’t know what the Halachah is, but from a personal point-of-view I don’t feel too guilty if I can “steal” back some of my own “stolen” money…

    sechelyoshor
    sechelyoshor
    11 years ago

    For all of you who are justifying this behavior, is lying muttar? Why is this not considered gezel akum? If you tell the city you bought the tickey, you are a liar. Is there any place in shulchan aruch that allows you to lie to get off paying a fine?

    Mikerose
    Mikerose
    11 years ago

    U know how we just dump the used ones on the street well let bp lumber say he’s keeping the block tidy (so he don’t get a garbage tix!)by asking ppl to drop in box rather then on street

    MBD358
    MBD358
    11 years ago

    עם נבר תתברר ועם עקש תתפתל

    Brooklynhocker
    Brooklynhocker
    11 years ago

    The city adopted the muni meters to counter all the broken meter claims. It does two things 1- it was legal to park at a broken meter for an hour. 2- you can’t say the meter was broken or fast because it says exactly what time it started and when it ran out. That means the city gets paid for every minute someone is parked there, and it takes less people to maintain and repair their meters. In turn the city now hired an additional 1,000 meter maids to collect on their investment.

    savta
    savta
    11 years ago

    Has anyone else noticed that the number of muni meters installed are located primarily in frum neighborhoods?

    elliot770
    elliot770
    11 years ago

    The city rips people off with the ticket craze.All those posting dina dmalchsa how aboutthe nazis would you say dina dmalchusa then? Mike is a big jewish anti semite how about his coment about the blasck hat crowd and meziza.

    Brooklynhocker
    Brooklynhocker
    11 years ago

    The city adopted the muni meters to counter all the broken meter claims. It does two things 1- it was legal to park at a broken meter for an hour. 2- you can’t say the meter was broken or fast because it says exactly what time it started and when it ran out. That means the city gets paid for every minute someone is parked there, and it takes less people to maintain and repair their meters. In turn the city now hired an additional 1,000 meter maids to collect on their investment.

    Reb Yid
    Reb Yid
    11 years ago

    How is this any different from parking at a meter where there’s still time left?

    Also, to everyone who’s crying dina d’malchusa–there’s an adage in American legal philosophy, “innocent until proven guilty.” I think that should apply at least as much to our fellow yidden as to the average yahoo on the street.

    RAPHAELLIFE1
    RAPHAELLIFE1
    11 years ago

    when will u all wake up ??? will it take when the blummy will fine u $10,000 ??? stop with the dina d’malchusa…

    11 years ago

    I am embarrased. This is outright fraud and must stop.

    ModernLakewoodGuy
    ModernLakewoodGuy
    11 years ago

    Makes me very proud to see all these frum yidelin defending this practice. You broke the law, got a ticket and now using fraudulent documents to try to get out of it. Wait, why dont you do the same thing with your religious life? Forget to daven shachris? no problem, get your friends tefilin, plan your fingerprints on it and on yom kippur, show hashem that in fact you put tefillin on that day?

    clear-thinker
    clear-thinker
    11 years ago

    Lets see if I have it right. It is wrong that the police put mini meters in frum neighborhoods. I want to be treated with respect by the chayas who give tickets. It is an anti semitic act to give me a ticket, wait if that chaya gives me a ticket he is a nazi. I have the right to double park without getting a ticket. If it is Friday and I am double parked in and can’t get out and Shabbos is on the way where are the cops?
    If I am charged with a real crime, it is the fault of the frum person who cooperates with the police since …..

    cent_cent
    cent_cent
    11 years ago

    I am not getting into the legality of such actions, or the Chillul Hashem aspect. However, I would say that anyone who does not live in NY cannot make any comments on this matter. People not in NYC don’t understand the mentality of the tickets. Living outside of NYC you might get one parking ticket every five years, so yeah this would look really bad. But come to NY and see the meter maids hiding around the corners waiting until people walk away from their car for a second and then run in and scan. Even if you are a couple feet away, and you see them coming, once they scan they say – too late, I already scanned. Or how about the traffic police who wait in their cars right on the block where alternate side is about to begin and the second it starts race over and give a ticket. Or maybe the ones who walk down the blocks at night and check every single registration/inspection and give tickets (these happen all the time, every single day).
    Again, I am not validating this or making comments about its legality/halachic status, but unless you live in NY and understand the culture here, you have no basis to make comments about this. Come here for a few years and then see if feel the same

    Aryeh
    Aryeh
    11 years ago

    Half a billion!?

    MayerAlter
    MayerAlter
    11 years ago

    Guys chill out and look at the hard facts. Putting money in a meter allows you to park until a certain time. After that time, be it one minute or ten minutes, you have no right to park for free and if you do you can expect a ticket. Using someone elses ticket is a criminal offence. If you don’t like the parking regulations or the fraud statutes try and get them changed but don’t pretend black is white. And just one other thought: if after 120 you tell the melochim, hey guys, all the times you have me down for being mechalel Shabbos, well once it was only two minutes after zman Shabbos, that time it was only seven minutes, what are you guys doing, standing there just waiting to catch me? Is a couple of minutes that important? Be thankful that the Mayor can only issue parking citations.

    RebKlemson
    RebKlemson
    11 years ago

    I work in the morning hours in boropark and since theres alternate side almost everyday i am forced to run around and feed a meter until i can move back to the street and usually theres no meters or spots available afterward. it makes work impossible. but they will get me the minute my guard is down

    7 years ago

    If you don’t like the parking regulations or the fraud statutes try and get them changed but don’t pretend black is white.Can we provide a fingerprint a strand of hair?
    Please Answer Must
    Thanks
    BernardTyler
    http://blockeddrivewaytowing.com