6 ms·

I read years ago in comp.risks about a similar story. A guy in 1979(!) requested a personalized plate "SAILING", with second choice "BOATING". He didn't want a

by kens 7y ago

I read years ago in comp.risks about a similar story. A guy in 1979(!) requested a personalized plate "SAILING", with second choice "BOATING". He didn't want a customized plate if he couldn't get those, so for his third choice he put down "NO PLATE". Of course, he ended up with "NO PLATE". He ended up getting 2500 parking tickets, since cars with no plate had "NO PLATE" written on the ticket. References: http://www.mekabay.com/overviews/risks/risks03_1986_06-04-1986-10-30.pdf http://www.mekabay.com/overviews/risks/risks03_1986_06-04-19... https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/licensed-to-bill/ https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/licensed-to-bill/

sieabahlpark 7y ago
I remember a different story where the guy had to fight every ticket in court
- 3wolf 7y ago
  On the plus side, he could also contest legitimate tickets unless they recorded other information.
  - DecoPerson 7y ago
    I managed to do this at my university. I had vanity plates with a design made by my local Australia shire, which had the shire emblem between two parts of the plate. The plate was something like "123ABC" but I'm guessing emblem read as an O, so their scanners saw "123OABC", which was not a plate registered with the uni. Each day there was a 10-20% chance I would get a ticket on my windshield. I would collect them and take them to the uni security office once a fortnite to have them cancelled in bulk. I actually got pretty friendly with some of the staff there. At least 4 of them were legitimate tickets because I parked overtime, over a line, etc, but the staff cancelled them anyway (:
    - deleted 7y ago
      [deleted]
  - nvplates 7y ago
    It is nowhere near that easy. http://100parkingtickets.com/ http://100parkingtickets.com/
  - juancb 7y ago
    Like Make, Model, Color, and VIN? The last time I got a parking ticket it certainly included those details in the citation. I can imagine being able to contest and win any citations issued to the same plate but with otherwise non-matching supporting information. But in the case where someone else has the same make, model, and color car, you might be out of luck if the VIN gets recorded as "CANNOT READ" or is left blank.
- nvplates 7y ago
  It has happened multiple times. NULL, NV, XXX, MISSING, NO PLATE
  - k_sze 7y ago
    I wonder if the system is also vulnerable to SQL injection via vanity plates.
    - michaelmior 7y ago
      I think this is unlikely since plates are alphanumeric. Although I suppose if you faked an image of a plate it's possible you could cause problems for a plate scanner.
    - bigiain 7y ago
      [1');DROP TABLE tickets; --] (Damn. Way too many letters...)
      - lyian 7y ago
        );Drop * GREETINGS FROM HELL
    - hughc 7y ago
      Relevant XKCD: https://xkcd.com/327/ https://xkcd.com/327/
    - Xelbair 7y ago
      https://www.wykop.pl/cdn/c3201142/comment_ybs5JJhpdoduaAiCGoQNJ9ZUAVgAwFrs.jpg https://www.wykop.pl/cdn/c3201142/comment_ybs5JJhpdoduaAiCGo...
    - skgoa 7y ago
      There was someone who not too long ago fixed an SQL injecction to his front bumper and it managed to break the automated toll collection system.
friedegg 7y ago
Similar thing happened to someone in DC with "NO TAGS" https://www.nbcwashington.com/investigations/The-20000-Ticket-Problem-139394718.html https://www.nbcwashington.com/investigations/The-20000-Ticke...
m463 7y ago
I saw a car with that specific plate a year or two ago. It seemed like it might work like humor in the TSA line. Fine as long as you have extra time on your hands. I wonder if it has even been towed/impounded?
- taneq 7y ago
  > Fine as long as you have extra time on your hands. And of course, in programmer humour, this translates to "while you're not busy with anything else, issue a fine." :)
  - Piskvorrr 7y ago
    Which, ironically, is what actually happens.
mikorym 7y ago
This reminds me about my own name. Everyone always gets it wrong (including people from where I am from). Except the Dutch. They always get it right, every single time! There was also a meme about a person that wrote on her ID application "note the hat on the 'e'" and of course her name was Sarah Note The Hat On The E on the issued ID. EDIT: Yes her name was not Sarah and there is no 'e' in Sarah.

by kens 7y ago

sieabahlpark 7y ago

I remember a different story where the guy had to fight every ticket in court

3wolf 7y ago
On the plus side, he could also contest legitimate tickets unless they recorded other information.
- DecoPerson 7y ago
  I managed to do this at my university. I had vanity plates with a design made by my local Australia shire, which had the shire emblem between two parts of the plate. The plate was something like "123ABC" but I'm guessing emblem read as an O, so their scanners saw "123OABC", which was not a plate registered with the uni. Each day there was a 10-20% chance I would get a ticket on my windshield. I would collect them and take them to the uni security office once a fortnite to have them cancelled in bulk. I actually got pretty friendly with some of the staff there. At least 4 of them were legitimate tickets because I parked overtime, over a line, etc, but the staff cancelled them anyway (:
  - deleted 7y ago
    [deleted]
- nvplates 7y ago
  It is nowhere near that easy. http://100parkingtickets.com/ http://100parkingtickets.com/
- juancb 7y ago
  Like Make, Model, Color, and VIN? The last time I got a parking ticket it certainly included those details in the citation. I can imagine being able to contest and win any citations issued to the same plate but with otherwise non-matching supporting information. But in the case where someone else has the same make, model, and color car, you might be out of luck if the VIN gets recorded as "CANNOT READ" or is left blank.
nvplates 7y ago
It has happened multiple times. NULL, NV, XXX, MISSING, NO PLATE
- k_sze 7y ago
  I wonder if the system is also vulnerable to SQL injection via vanity plates.
  - michaelmior 7y ago
    I think this is unlikely since plates are alphanumeric. Although I suppose if you faked an image of a plate it's possible you could cause problems for a plate scanner.
  - bigiain 7y ago
    [1');DROP TABLE tickets; --] (Damn. Way too many letters...)
    - lyian 7y ago
      );Drop * GREETINGS FROM HELL
  - hughc 7y ago
    Relevant XKCD: https://xkcd.com/327/ https://xkcd.com/327/
  - Xelbair 7y ago
    https://www.wykop.pl/cdn/c3201142/comment_ybs5JJhpdoduaAiCGoQNJ9ZUAVgAwFrs.jpg https://www.wykop.pl/cdn/c3201142/comment_ybs5JJhpdoduaAiCGo...
  - skgoa 7y ago
    There was someone who not too long ago fixed an SQL injecction to his front bumper and it managed to break the automated toll collection system.

friedegg 7y ago

Similar thing happened to someone in DC with "NO TAGS" https://www.nbcwashington.com/investigations/The-20000-Ticket-Problem-139394718.html https://www.nbcwashington.com/investigations/The-20000-Ticke...

m463 7y ago

I saw a car with that specific plate a year or two ago. It seemed like it might work like humor in the TSA line. Fine as long as you have extra time on your hands. I wonder if it has even been towed/impounded?

taneq 7y ago
> Fine as long as you have extra time on your hands. And of course, in programmer humour, this translates to "while you're not busy with anything else, issue a fine." :)
- Piskvorrr 7y ago
  Which, ironically, is what actually happens.

mikorym 7y ago

This reminds me about my own name. Everyone always gets it wrong (including people from where I am from). Except the Dutch. They always get it right, every single time! There was also a meme about a person that wrote on her ID application "note the hat on the 'e'" and of course her name was Sarah Note The Hat On The E on the issued ID. EDIT: Yes her name was not Sarah and there is no 'e' in Sarah.