Sunshine Coast RCMP have taken down their warning about fake parking tickets being distributed in the area.
After issuing a release Nov. 5, saying several people have reported returning to their vehicles that day to find a ticket of $142 from “Sunshine Coast Parking Authority” police said Nov. 6 that they've been in contact with the person responsible who maintains the tickets were a joke.
There is no such thing as the Sunshine Coast Parking Authority, and RCMP said there were several other clues that the tickets were fake, including spelling mistakes such as "Seashell" for Sechelt and "voilation." The tickets also listed possible offences like not having a safe level of "blinker fluid."
While there was a disclaimer at the bottom of the ticket that read, “This ticket was issued by a concerned citizen and is not an actual fine. This ticket is for entertainment purposes only,” anyone who went to the website listed on the ticket was directed to a PayPal link that gave an option for a “quick pay” fine of $75.
That raised the possibility that it was a scam, despite the disclaimer.
It's unknown if anyone who received one of the tickets actually attempted to make a payment.
