Northbrook Man Hit With I-PASS Fines For Truck He Hasn't Owned In Years
CHICAGO (CBS) -- An I-PASS is supposed to make life easier, but that was not the case for a Northbrook man who sold his truck years ago but keeps getting fines on his I-PASS account.
Leonard Hoffman got a surprise when a truck he sold more than six years ago started racking up I-PASS tickets on Illinois expressways, and on top of it all Hoffman wasn't even in the state when the truck blew through those tolls.
Hoffman is an ipass customer in good standing, so when he started getting violation notices in the mail he was confused.
"It just makes no sense to me," he said. "I do not understand it at all. All the evidence is there that Im not the person doing it."
Hoffman had a mountain of evidence proving that he sold his grey Ford Ranger in 2014—he admits to leaving the plates on the truck and didn't think much of it as they were set to expire that same year.
"Yes, they had been long expired," he said.
But the plates, which are now on a blue colored Ford, collected four tickets for a total of $8.40 — but it ballooned to nearly 90 dollars with late fees.
Hoffman was on the hook.
"Im not going to pay for somebody else's toll," he said.
So he decided to fight. He contested the violations, filed a police report, revoked the plates with the Secretary of State and pleaded his case with the tollway. He thought that would solve everything.
"Why did I do all this stuff? There was no result," he said.
His appeal was denied. I-PASS told CBS 2 had Hoffman shown a bill of sale or filed a police report prior to the violations his dispute would not have been rejected.
Hoffman said he felt like he had to pay the fine.
"It was it was becoming too time consuming and expensive," he said.
He cut a check, dishing out $90 for tickets he didn't earn. I-PASS says they reached out to Hoffman before he paid up and gave him the option to pay the $8.40.
"I'm tired of people acting badly and everybody else who tries to do the right thing gets hosed," he said.
An Illinois Tollway s spokesperson said customers should immediately report misplaced or stolen license plates.
And just Friday afternoon Hoffman after CBS 2 got involved I-PASS refunded him for the $88.
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