How a driver was hit with thousands of dollars in traffic fines and nearly disqualified from driving despite claiming never to have driven
- Man nearly loses driver’s license for fines he wasn’t responsible for
- The fines for claims were in his name after his driver’s license was stolen
A man who received thousands of fines and nearly lost his driver’s license claimed he was not the driver who received multiple fines in a series of vehicles.
Amanpreet Singh, a father from Liverpool in western Sydney, said a string of fines began mounting after his driver’s license wallet was stolen from his car late last year.
When Mr. Singh, 35, asked for photos attached to each of the fines, which turned out to show a white man with a tattoo on his right arm, neither of which can be used to identify Mr. Singh to describe.
He believes his driver’s license was used to falsely identify him as the guilty driver, leading to approximately $1,800 in fines and his demerit points from 3 to 22.
Mr Singh sent Revenue NSW, an arm of the NSW government that prosecutes overdue fines, as much evidence as he could gather.
This included a history of his Uber rides showing him in completely different places at the time of the fines and photos of himself to compare to the man photographed in the fines.
However, Mr Singh claims that Revenue NSW has been investigating the matter since January and has not received any updates.
“We’re glad they’re doing the investigation,” Mr Singh’s wife, Jaspinder, told A Current Affair.
“But at least don’t suspend his license until this is clear.”
His driver’s license would be suspended “for five months” from April 15, bringing his job as a driver for Uber to a standstill.
However, he decided to opt for a 12-month good behavior bond, which would allow him to continue driving, but would have his driver’s license revoked if another fine was demanded in his name.
“We do nothing, yet we suffer and no one (will) listen,” he told A Current Affair.
West Sydney Liverpool father Amanpreet Singh (pictured) said a series of fines began to mount after his wallet and driver’s license were stolen from his car
Photos attached to the fines appear to show a white man with a tattoo on his right arm (pictured), neither of which can be used to describe Mr Singh
According to A Current Affair, the fines were removed within hours of the show approaching Revenue NSW for comment.
“Revenue NSW has contacted the client and resolved the misdemeanor attribution issue,” a statement from Revenue NSW reads.
To protect customer privacy, Revenue NSW does not comment publicly on the specifics of individual circumstances.
However, customers may nominate another driver if they have received a fine or overdue fine and were not driving the vehicle at the time of the violation, or if the vehicle was sold prior to the date of the violation.
Making a false nomination is a serious offence. If drivers provide false or misleading information, they could face additional fines and restrictions on their driver’s licenses.
“If an individual believes they have been wrongly nominated for a fine, the IRS will investigate the claim. The person contesting the nomination of a fine will have to provide evidence to support their claim.”