A San Diego woman says she was caught in a frustrating loop after receiving multiple Bay Area FasTrak toll violations for a Mercedes-Benz she says she has never been in. Martha Sandez Sapp explains she couldn’t clear her name from several toll violations she received out of the Bay Area. The Mercedes wasn’t hers, but its temporary license plate number was. The number appearing in photos on the toll violations was the same temporary plate number issued to Martha Sandez Sapp’s new Subaru. The case has now raised questions about the possible cloning of temporary license plates. Bay Area FasTrak told NBC 7 Responds that it had recently learned of another similar case and planned to take a closer look at disputes involving temporary plates. Surprise toll violations Sandez Sapp said the trouble began after she returned home from a vacation in Hawaii and found a Bay Area toll violation waiting for her. “Obviously it’s my name, it’s my address, but that’s not my car. That was the first thing. I was like, whose car is that?” she recalled asking herself. A Mercedes-Benz with the exact same plates as Sandez Sapp’s temporary plates was racking up toll violations she was on the hook to pay. Her new car is a Subaru, while the vehicle pictured on the toll violation is a Mercedes-Benz. She disputed the violation but said she was told that FasTrak relies on the license plate captured by its cameras and not on the vehicle that may be pictured. “So if our camera catches those plates, we’re going to keep sending you this, you know, this ticket,” is what she says she was told by the folks over at FasTrak. Sandez Sapp said the temporary plates pictured on the Mercedes were exactly the same as those she had on her new Subaru for a few weeks until she got her permanent plates from the Department of Motor Vehicles. Caught in a loop She said she then spent many hours on hold or waiting in lines as she tried to prove she wasn’t responsible for the violations. According to Sandez Sapp, FasTrak told her she needed a police report. She said the police department told her they weren’t sure if her report would be approved because nothing had been physically stolen from her and directed her to the California Department of Motor Vehicles. She said she was then told by the DMV that they didn’t track temporary license plates and that she should contact FasTrak. “And FasTrak tells me, it’s the DMV, it’s the DMV that provides us with this information.” She said. “So I was stuck in a loop.” While Sandez Sapp was scrambling to sort out the problem, she called NBC 7 Responds for help. She showed us how more violations arrived in the mail. The Mercedes kept racking them up while she tried to clear her name. One after another, the toll violations kept hitting Sandez Sapp’s mailbox as she struggled to get out of the loop she found herself in. New fraud trend? NBC 7 Responds contacted the DMV, San Diego Police Department, and Bay Area FasTrak about Sandez Sapp’s case. Bay Area FasTrak said to NBC 7 Responds: “This is an interesting case, not only because it appears to involve a sham temporary license plate but also because it’s the second such instance of alleged improper use of a “cloned” temporary plate for toll bridge or Express Lane transactions that has been brought to my attention this week. I don’t know enough about the particulars to declare that the drivers involved in these transactions are deliberate scofflaws, but the coincidence is too strong to ignore. We at MTC and BATA certainly will be taking a close look at new disputes involving toll transactions and temporary plates. Administering appropriate and accurate toll collection is a big part of our job and we appreciate the DMV’s help in doing it.” For its part, SDPD said the circumstances likely indicated that someone had created a false plate. “Since the photograph she was sent by FasTrak was of a plate on another person’s vehicle- that likely means someone manufactured a false plate to avoid tolls. If she is having trouble with FasTrak still, I would contact the DMV. Since she is issued a permanent plate, she should not be receiving these to begin with.” We asked the DMV if Sandez Sapp could do anything to remove her name from the temporary plate, since she had recieved her permanent plates and no longer needed it. “Drivers do not need to take any action to remove a Temporary License Plate (TLP) from their record. Once permanent plates are issued, the DMV system automatically updates the vehicle record and replaces the TLP information. If a driver suspects their temporary license has been cloned, it is important to report the issue to local law enforcement. Officers can investigate and take appropriate action if needed. Individuals who believe they have witness or been affected by any DMV-related violations or unlawful activities such as license plate fraud can file a complaint with the Investigations Division on the department’s website or by contacting a local DMV Investigations field office.“ The DMV also told NBC 7 and Telemundo 20 Responds that it was working with Sandez Sapp after she filed a complaint with its investigations division. They’re hoping to remove her name from any association with the now-expired plate. The cycle finally breaks Sandez Sapp was ultimately able to get the toll violations dismissed on her own. Still, the experience left her concerned that another driver could face the same problem, and she hopes to never see a toll violation ever again coming from that Mercedes Benz. She also hopes the matching plates were just a coincidence and not someone getting a hold of her personal information. “It’s just concerning that somebody can just either play with numbers or steal your plates, and then just, it can happen to anybody, right?” This story was originally reported for broadcast by NBC San Diego. AI tools helped convert the story to a digital article, and an NBC San Diego journalist edited the article for publication. ...read more read less