E-ZPass (NJ)
E-ZPass Extortion of Out-of-State Drivers

In Ohio in the mail I just received a "Notice of Violation" from E-ZPass, alleging that I had either failed to pay a toll on the Garden State Parkway or had underpaid—the allegation notice did not say precisely what they think I did wrong.

Worse, the allegation notice included two separate violations, one involving my rental car on that trip to N.J., the other involving ANOTHER Ohio license plate. The second violation allegation is an utter fraud.

I have a clear memory of paying all tolls IN FULL (not only on the date of my alleged offense but every single time I've gone through any toll booth or subway token turnstile etc.

The worst that MIGHT have happened is that I picked up a nickel, mistaking it for a quarter, but the E-ZPass violation citing my rental car license plate alleges that I owe $0.70. Not twenty cents.

And I remember very clearly counting the change carefully, putting the coins in the collection chute, and waiting for the sign to say "Thank You" (I assume that the sign doesn't thank drivers who short change the automatic coin-counter.

While I doubt organized crime has a mole at E-ZPass who is sending FALSE allegations out to OUT OF STATE motorists—those who are unlikely to challenge a $25.00 "administrative fee" in addition to a dollar or less in supposedly "unpaid" tolls, or that a hacker is scamming out of state motorists, I am concerned that this supposedly "accurate" E-ZPass system not only wrongfully accused me but accused me without being specific about the charge (whether I underpaid or paid nothing according to their Big Brother System), and that their system concocted or connected a car, license plate, toll location, and time that had ABSOLUTELY NOTHING to do with me and are now trying to shake me down for BOTH alleged offenses.

I am an attorney in Ohio and you can contact me at lit4@aol.com if you live out of state and received a bogus E-ZPass allegation recently, as I will be glad to file a class action against them, and I am also sending my concerns about possible fraud and perhaps criminal activity at E-ZPass to the New Jersey Attorney General and to the Prosecutor in Essex County N.J., as it is my sincere opinion that something ROTTEN is going on at E-ZPass, and I'll be damned if I'm going to submit to state-sanctioned shake-downs (extortion) (the E-Z Pass letter threatened me with administrative fines of up to $500 if I failed to respond withing 15 days).

E-ZPass has bitten off more than it can chew with me by making false and vague (violating due process) accusations that are baseless AND in error. I would like to hear a rebuttal from a neutral but knowledgable third party regarding my recent experience with E-ZPass.

I think it's everyone's duty to FIGHT electronic "autocopism" such as E-ZPass. If law enforcement wants to punish violations, citizens ought to have due process first (be told PRECISELY WHAT THEY ARE BEING ACCUSED OF DOING WRONG) and then be allowed their day in court BEFORE paying the fine (E-ZPass claims that you must first pay the amount they are trying to EXTORT from me before I can contest the accuracy of their charges, which is nothing more bureaucratic nazism). If we all don't fight this growing tendency for machines and software to find and punish alleged violations of laws or administrative rules, we're going to wake up with one messed up country quite soon!

Company: E-ZPass (NJ)
Country: USA
State: New Jersey
City: Newark
Phone: 9733681425
Site: www.ezpassnj.com

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