Oh, this is just peachy. There’s a web site out there (called Lifehacker) which starts with this disclaimer:
Note: The tips you read in this post are at least bordering on illegal, and in most circumstances they are also bad things to do. We’ll offer up situations where making the evil choice might be ethically sound, but because laws vary depending on where you live you need to make sure you’re not breaking them before you try anything you read here.
Oh brother. I say if you have to have a disclaimer like this, why do it. Hackers do serve a purpose. They force us to think about our problems and make us better and better. There is a reason the FBI hires hackers rather than arrest them. They can learn from them and make their software better.
Let’s see if we learned anything from this article. First, he says that you simply take a P and D sticker (one you got legitimately) and then photo shop it to change the expiration time and date. And you are in. What to do, what to do?
You could change the paper color in the P and D machines and not tell anyone what color will be coming up. At least then you will force them to make a bunch of different tickets. You can use pay by space, install sensors in each space to note when the car arrived so enforcement can check arrival time with the time printed on the ticket. License plate recognition could slow down these guys if they have to input their license number when they buy the ticket. (I like that one.) Anyone got any others? Let me know.
The Second evil photoshop is simply duplicating an on street parking permit. You don’t need to have it there all the time, you just need to photoshop it into a picture of your windshield with the ticket on it. Heh — and a judge would fall for that? Cities can fix this problem relatively easily. Simply have a database list of permits and run them against the citation. Not on list, ticket good. Do these people think we are completely stupid?
I love it when he says that you shouldn’t do this unless you are in a hurry and only want to cheat for a few minutes. Sigh….also — you should really cheat on surface lots owned by evil businesspeople who have lots of money to lose. Steal from them, not your poor broke city. Craig Bagdon call your office.
I wonder if this guy’s mother knows what he does. Remember you are doing all this to save what, a couple of bucks, maybe $5 tops. Sheesh.
JVH
3 Responses
All I can say is “beware hackers!” Go ahead and manipulate a parking receipt or monthly permit at your own risk.
I have a hard working crew of lot checkers whose only job is to look at parking receipts and monthly permits. These folks look at thousands of legitimate printed receipts/permits per day and trust me, they can see a fake a mile away. We also employ hidden serial number doublechecks, watermarks and foil threads that make the production of a perfect copy impossible.
And by the way JVH, I’m sure you’ll be thrilled to know that the hot bed of fake receipts is the parking lot of our local law school!
Hackers, trust me, close enough won’t work. You risk having your car towed away to car jail ($350!) and if you really want to be a knucklehead about it and insist the receipt is legit, we’re more than happy get the cops involved. They love a signed, sealed and delivered case of fraud. And you know what’s funny about all of this? The hacker produces the evidence that will be used against him/her!
I guess every facet of paid parking has its cheaters. I’ll bet Photoshoppers cause headaches for the permit industry as well. Manufacturing fake coins back in the old days was no doubt much more trouble.
And with better and better tools it gets easier to make more legit looking copies without tighter scrutiny by parking enforcement.
I think this is another reason to move to pay by plate, with mobile enforcement. You still pay at a machine (or by phone) but instead you type in your plate and away you go, no need to go back and put anything on your car. Enforcement is all done with license plate recognition which knows who’s paid and who hasn’t. So no one needs to look on your dash for the receipt. Certainly makes cheating the system harder.